Deuces
by negautrunks
Summary: When Sakura is injured on a mission, will she have to recover on her own? Love blooms in unexpected places. Beneath it all a snake weaves his twisted plans. Is Sakura strong enough to crush her adversaries or will she fall? Slow Kaka/Saku
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_A Roll of the Dice_

Sakura huddled in the underbrush, muscles tensed in anticipation. Yet again she tried to force herself to relax so as to remain limber. She pressed her earpiece firmly into its canal, verifying that she wouldn't miss an order – if one came. Being assigned to a backup team on her first mission wasn't as glamorous a role as she'd hoped for, but as the team's medic, she couldn't complain.

"_At least it's S-ranked..."_ She mused contentedly to herself.

Things could be less glamorous.

Suddenly her earpiece crackled to life in the darkness, and a less than comforting sound penetrated her eardrum, causing her to freeze instantly with trepidation.

"Team 2 – formation C – back... up..." The last words were just a gurgle over the radio. Sakura's next inhalation was sharp with worry and more than a little fear, but she leapt ahead, hoping desperately that her team was doing damage control ahead of her. As the medic, it was her responsibility to administer first aid to the survivors of team 1, and it was her team's responsibility to ensure her safety. Sakura heard the clash of metal on metal in the trees just after she saw the sparks fly. The sounds were followed by a curse.

"Summon team 3 – repeat, summon team 3. There's more company than expected." Her commander's voice called over the radio. Sakura looked around haphazardly; suddenly the sounds of battle surrounded her. Her hand flew to the scroll at her hip and she sent a pulse of chakra through it back to Konoha, alerting HQ of their predicament. Immediately afterward, she took up arms and dashed toward the first commander's last known position.

"_No time to panic. We're here to save lives."_ Inner Sakura admonished. Even so, Sakura's hands were already glowing green over an injured nin's chest.

But it wasn't long before everything went black.

* * *

Sai's eyes scanned the forest floor, assessing the damage. The targets had long since vacated the scene. All that remained were the still bodies of his comrades. Sai's expression didn't change as he knelt, but his stomach flipped as he reached toward Sakura's pink locks. Gently, he wove his fingers through her damp, bloodstained hair, pressing his fingertips lightly to her throat. His breath caught slightly in response to his discovery, and with new hope he hurried to check the ANBU under her for a pulse.

"Yamato taichou..." He breathed. Silently, Sai made a signal to the medic on his team. They'd stabilize the two survivors and bring the fallen home.

It was their duty, after all.

* * *

Sakura stared tiredly at the backs of her eyelids, unable to move, brain foggy and confused. The shallow sound of her own rapid breathing was deafening. Her fingertips tingled, yet she could not move them. She tried to open her eyes with a vain, half-hearted effort. Suddenly she felt so fatigued... As she drifted off, the last thing she heard was less than encouraging, a sordid whisper in the darkness...

"She'd have been better off dead with the rest of them..."

"_Dead? ..."_

There was no opportunity to decipher the stranger's commentary. There was only the darkness.

Painless, quiet darkness.

* * *

Gradually, the blackness in her mind gave way to a deep, pulsing redness... a painful redness. Sakura scrunched her eyes in an effort to escape the light but as her level of consciousness increased so did the pain in her head. She released a dry, stifled groan into the oxygen mask that covered her face, then immediately she attempted to remove the obstruction. She found that as she tried to reach her face, someone stopped her, and she struggled against her captor, grunting at the person who dared restrain her. Sakura's eyes flew open and she was assailed with an intense brightness that nearly blinded her. She blinked slowly against the light, once, twice, and the hands around her wrists released her just as slowly.

"Sakura? Sakura-chan?"

The words reached her as though her head were submerged in water.

Sakura stared at the ceiling and didn't respond.

"_I've been here before... this place..."_

"This building... so... _sterile... _Doctors – nurses..." Her breathing was erratic as she panicked, searching for the right word.

"Hospital." A shadow invaded her line of sight, alleviating some of the pain caused by the brightness surrounding her. The weight of her companion's hand rested, comforting, on her shoulder.

"Naruto." She responded as her eyes adjusted and she recognized his whiskered face.

The blonde broke into a wide grin. "I'm glad you remember me, Sakura. You had us all really worried..." Though his expression radiated joy, his tone betrayed his concern. "You got hit on the head pretty bad..."

Sakura stared blankly at her old friend for a few moments, and the pain in her head began to throb, dully at first, then sharper. She gripped his wrist weakly as the nightmare played before her eyes again; the dark woods, the crackle of her earpiece, the faint glow of her chakra on Yamato-taichou's chest. Her ears rang in the relative silence as she tried to remember the events that led to her loss of consciousness.

"Dead." She whispered, and Naruto's smiling face fell slightly.

"What?"

"Dead! Everyone is dead!" She cried out suddenly, agitated. Sakura tried to get up, she had to find them, to prove herself wrong! But the pain in her head, the pain she had temporarily forgotten, seemed to double. Sakura realized that her neck pained her as well.

"Sakura, calm down! You shouldn't move!" Naruto's free hand flew to her other shoulder in an attempt to hold her still.

"Rrgh! What... what hurts so much?" Sakura slurred over the rapid beeping of the heart monitor that suddenly seemed to dominate the room.

"You were hurt really badly on that last mission..." Naruto reiterated. At that moment a nurse stormed into the room, clipboard in hand.

"Step away from the patient!" She barked at Naruto, who stepped away from Sakura slowly. Overwhelmed, the injured kunoichi slumped back onto her pillow limply, staring at the ceiling again. "You should have called a nurse up the instant she woke up!" The brunette admonished as she took Sakura's vitals. "You suffered severe trauma to the cranium. Your neck is stiff because your spinal cord is inflamed." The nurse held Sakura's eyes open as she shone a penlight into them and the pinkette groaned weakly in pain, screwing her eyes shut after the ordeal. "It looks like the worst has passed. But Tsunade-sama will be by this afternoon to evaluate your condition." Sakura lay still, eyes still screwed tightly shut. The nurse stared at Sakura for a few more moments as though waiting for a response, but Sakura ignored her. Finally the callous woman turned on her heel and left. Naruto returned to his friend's side.

"Sakura..." He placed a hand on her bed.

"I don't understand. I don't understand how … it happened... Two teams. There weren't that many of them. Were there more? I didn't see them all... Maybe I wasn't paying attention... I should have. Formation C – medics don't fight in formation C. Should I have fought... instead of healing? I don't understand." Sakura slurred rapidly.

"Shh..." Naruto squeezed her hand, understanding only half of what Sakura said. He tried not to, but he couldn't help it. Naruto looked on her in pity. The nurses had warned him of the side effects that Sakura might suffer from her injury. Muscle weakness, difficulty speaking, confusion, agitation, pain, inability to process emotion. Classic symptoms of severe trauma to the head, they had explained. Worst case, she might remain comatose for a long time, or forget that he had even existed. Naruto released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and he forced himself to smile as he gave her hand one last squeeze before leaving the room.

At least... at least she remembered him. At least she was awake.

Naruto shoved his hands deep into his pockets as he left the hospital in search of the one person he knew would be able to help Sakura. If he couldn't help, then no one could.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sakura replayed the events of the night of her mission over and over in her head. She could find no flaw in her performance, yet she couldn't help but feel that there must have been something more she could have done.

"_I feel so useless. I couldn't even finish stabilizing Yamato-taichou before..."_ Sakura fought the urge to cry. _"I'm already as weak as can be here... the last thing I need to start with is **that**."_

Gradually the sky began to glow a deeper gold as the sun dipped further toward the horizon, and soon enough Sakura heard the familiar clack of Tsunade's heels on the linoleum. Slowly Sakura turned her head toward the door in anticipation of her Shishou's arrival, and the Hokage didn't disappoint her. Tsunade entered the room quietly and gently placed a hand on Sakura's forehead, sending a cool wave of chakra into the girl's brain both to assess and soothe. Sakura closed her eyes and sighed with relief as her teacher's familiar chakra wiped away the pain. She felt pitiful for accepting the help, yet she was beyond pride. With a faint smile, Tsunade soon pulled her hand away.

"I knew you'd make it." She smirked at Sakura, who couldn't bring herself to smile back.

"And the others?" She tried hard to speak clearly, but Tsunade noted the effort, and duly noted the pinkette's poor results. Sakura watched as her teacher's eyes lost their hard glint and Sakura's stomach twisted in fear.

"Yamato made it."

That the others hadn't went without saying. Sakura struggled to maintain her demeanor. She looked away slowly, toward the window.

"It's my fault." She whispered. "I should have saved them."

Tsunade shook her head. "You didn't stand a chance. None of you did. I'm lucky the two of you came back." _"I shouldn't have sent you."_

"If I had been on Team 3..."

"Then everyone would have died. If it hadn't been for you, Yamato wouldn't have survived."

"Oh."

Sakura's brow creased lightly in her confusion. _"Right, I was working on Yamato..."_

Tsunade sighed. "You are already doing better, but..." She bit her lip and continued. "Your recovery will take... time. But I am confident you _will_ make a full recovery."

Sakura sighed. "You sound … determined."

"Because I know what you're capable of. You'll be back on the field within the year."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly. _"A year... a whole year?"_ Sakura pushed down the panic that welled in her chest but her breaths came sharper.

A tense silence filled the room.

Slowly, Sakura composed herself. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade looked on her student with pride and smiled wryly. _"I knew you'd pull through."_ She turned from the girl and walked toward the door.

"Oh – your therapy will start soon. Give it your all." Sakura could hear the hope and confidence in her Shishou's voice, but she didn't _feel_ it. Yet she responded accordingly.

"Hai."

The word felt empty, not at all like she was trying, just as though she were merely agreeing.

The door slid shut quietly behind Tsunade and Sakura was left alone with her thoughts again.

* * *

Kakashi's eyes scanned his book without really reading and he turned another page, all while walking toward his apartment. A nagging voice reminded him where he should be headed, reminded him of the promise he had made Naruto.

"_I never said that I'd go **today**_**.**_"_

He turned another page and walked a few more steps, feeling just a little guilty.

"Hm." He pulled the key to his apartment from his pouch. _"I'll visit her soon."_ He promised himself, while excusing himself from duty for that day. _"Soon." _He told himself as he stepped lightly up the stairs to his apartment.

"_Soon."_

* * *

**A/N: **I know it's a short chapter to start with, but I wanted to get the ball rolling. I'll try to post weekly, bi-weekly at worst. Review, comment, rant, etc. I want to hear it :D I'll leave you alone. But I hope it's a stronger beginning than my other stories had. I feel like I'm so bad at "chapter 1's" LOL. :D Love u guys!


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I thought that I should bring attention to this fact. Sakura is having a hard time articulating her words. She is speaking slower than usual and it's challenging for her to form the sounds needed for speech. You'll know when she improves, trust me. And uh, slight minor spoiler alert, if you haven't read through the most recent manga chapters. Also, this weekend is my birthday, so I may not post next Wednesday. Sorry!

**Chapter 2**

_Together Burning Bright_

Sakura's eyes fluttered open. Her head still hurt some, but the swelling in her neck had gone down considerably since she had first awakened. She blinked and sighed. How she longed to get out of bed, to go home... After she'd had a chance to sort out the events that transpired on that first ANBU mission, she had come to understand just how lucky she'd been. Still, for most people the prospect of several grueling months of physical therapy and speech therapy was daunting, and Sakura was no exception.

"_But I've made it this far. I survived."_ "Lucky." She whispered.

Yamato-taichou had visited her briefly the day before. Neither shinobi had said much, but in retrospect, the easy silence had been comforting. They'd both been to the brink of death and back, together. Sakura smiled slightly, wincing inwardly at the guilt that still twisted in her gut. She knew just by looking at Yamato-taichou that he carried a similar burden. He had been the leader of team one, and the only member of the team that had made it back alive. She felt so _undeserving_ of the life she'd escaped with, and she suspected that Yamato-taichou felt the same, only more intensely. After all, he had been in a leadership position.

"_It must be horrible..."_

Sakura closed her eyes and frowned. Yet she had hope. Hope that things would get better. Part of that hope was fueled by her daily visitor, her 'sunshine' as she affectionately referred to him in her head. As if on cue, she heard his running footsteps approaching and she couldn't help but smile again as he slid the door open enthusiastically, a large paper bag in tow.

"Hello, Sakura-chan!" Naruto sing-songed. Sakura gingerly pushed herself into a sitting position. Meanwhile, Naruto busied himself with the task of unpacking the bags he'd brought, and soon the savory aroma of Ichiraku ramen filled the air.

"I thought you might want to eat something other than hospital food." Naruto made to hand the styrofoam container directly to his former teammate. "I know when I'm here all I can think of is ramen." He grinned at her.

Sakura smiled back uncertainly, eyeing the container, gauging her strength. She picked up her hands tiredly, but dropped them back into her lap despondently. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I don't think I can hold it..."

Naruto didn't skip a beat, and Sakura didn't feel uncomfortable for long. "No worries, Sakura. Just a sec." He quickly wheeled a tray over to her bedside and set the cup, chopsticks and napkins on it for her.

"Thanks." Sakura smiled warmly at him. He was the only one who had made an effort to visit her consistently. Understandably, Tsunade was busy. Ino was out on a mission with her genin charges. But Sakura couldn't help but wonder where another important person of hers was... Sakura pensively ate a small mouthful of noodles.

"Is Kakashi-sensei in Konoha?"

Naruto slurped up another mouthful of noodles before answering her.

"Yes. Why?"

"_So he's been to see him."_ "Well, you've told me about what everyone is up to... and I've seen everyone who can spare a moment to drop by." _"But not Kakashi-sensei."_

"Ehh..." Naruto paused. "You know how he can be."

Sakura nodded in agreement. "He's probably just afraid of the hospital..." She smiled, wide and fake, but Naruto understood and played along. After more than ten years of friendship, Kakashi's eccentric behavior didn't need to be explained. Sure, Sakura felt a twinge of self-pity in her chest, but Naruto quickly extinguished it by changing the topic.

"So they are going to start your therapy today?"

Sakura nodded.

"That's great! The sooner you get better, the sooner you can be out there with us!" Naruto and Sakura had made ANBU together, so it was clear he was alluding to her returning to the corps.

"I hope I can come back." Sakura gripped her chopsticks a little tighter.

"Of course you will!" He spoke with such conviction, Sakura knew he truly believed that she would get better, even though she was so far from her goal. And that was enough to keep her going.

"I want to run through the village again." She spoke slowly so as to make sure he'd understand her. "I want to boss you guys around, and heal you when you get hurt." She paused. "I want to be there when you catch Sasuke and I want to show him what a real kunoichi can do." Sakura's face shone with her determination and Naruto felt good. He was helping Sakura overcome her mental blocks, and that was what mattered at this point. She needed someone to pick her up, to push her and to believe in her, and she truly had no one that she could rely on but him. Then she could start to heal physically. Naruto glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Oooh, the speech therapist is going to be here soon. I better get out of here, and take my ramen with me!" He jumped up and started throwing the empty containers and stained napkins into the bag. He ran over to the window quickly, looking around the room one more time to ensure that he didn't forget anything. Sakura watched him contentedly the whole time.

"Hey, Naruto?"

The blonde paused in the open window, one foot already on the sill. "Un?"

"I never thought I'd say this, but that ramen was delicious. Thank you."

Naruto looked away from her to hide the moisture building in his eyes. "Ah. Anytime." And with that, he leapt from the window, leaving behind a considerably happier Sakura.

* * *

"So how is she?" Tsunade leaned back in her chair and eyed Naruto.

"Better today. Much better." Naruto grinned. "Eto... I took her some Ichiraku. That's okay, right?"

Tsunade nodded, uncaring. "It's the therapy that's important, not so much her diet. Besides, comfort food should do her some good, as long as its not _too_ often that she's eating unhealthily." Tsunade raised a cautionary eyebrow toward the rambunctious ninja.

"Ah..." Naruto laughed a little, throwing a hand behind his head. "Well, good then."

Tsunade smiled slightly and sighed. "Naruto, do you know why I asked you to do this?"

"Uhhh..." Naruto pursed his lips and his gaze traveled uncertainly across the ceiling as though the answer might be written there. He gave up. "No, uh, not really. I mean, I probably would have done it anyway. I mean, Sakura-chan has always been there for me when I'm hurt, really it only makes sense for me to help her now... I _want_ to help her..."

Tsunade nodded. "That's one of the reasons why I asked you to help me with this. It's also because you possess that special something, that special personality that people can't resist. It's as though no one can be with you and be depressed. Your positive attitude is infectious. Sakura needs that right now." Tsunade paused to sip her sake. "She has always felt a little... how can I put it? Left behind." Naruto agreed silently. "If we let her think about how far back this is setting her..." Tsunade sighed again, "She may never recover."

Naruto shook his head. "Tsunade-sama, Sakura is strong, she's the strongest girl I know!" He exclaimed. "She'll never get beat by something like this! Even if she lost confidence, I'm sure that she'd still work hard to get better!"

Tsunade burst into laughter. "See what I mean? You're unstoppable! But really, listen." Tsunade paused. "She needs to heal _emotionally_ before she can really start to _heal_. To put it plainly, it has to do with the brain injury." Tsunade was more serious now. "There is one other reason that I've asked you to take on this task." Naruto cocked his head in curiosity as Tsunade took another swig of her drink. "If you're serious about becoming Hokage, then when everything goes to shit and no one believes that there is a way up and out – when everything is hopeless and it really looks like the end is near, _you_ need to be the one to pull everyone together, you need to man up and _lead_ everyone by the hand, to victory. You need to keep everyone calm, and protect them. And you need to do it all without letting your fear or your sadness drag you down. Think of this as a miniature homework assignment." Tsunade's eyes flashed and Naruto returned her challenging expression with a solemn one.

"Just like in the Fourth War."

Tsunade nodded in agreement. When the situation had been at its most dire and Tsunade had been run through by Madara's wood jutsu, and each of the Kages was facing off with five Madara clones apiece, each clone bearing the eternal mangekyou sharingan, she had been the one to inspire all of the Kages as well as the shinobi armies with new hope. Once the will of fire had been returned to the shinobi on the battlefield, they had collectively become an unstoppable force, one that even the sage of six paths himself could not conquer. Any shinobi who had been present at the battle would verify that without Tsunade's strong leadership and determination, all would have been lost.

"Well, Naruto, you seem to have a handle on things. Unless something drastic happens, report to me in a week, okay?" Tsunade set her cup down and began to sort through a pile of paperwork.

Naruto smirked and nodded, a new fire burning in his eyes.

"You can count on me, Granny."

* * *

Tenzou hadn't been exaggerating when he'd recounted the story of the ambush to Kakashi.

"You stupid lush..." Kakashi breathed through his mask.

_(flashback)_

"_Remember that time we went to Water?" Tenzou took a swig of his drink and elbowed the older jounin lightly. "Huh? You remember, right?"_

_Kakashi had nodded and glanced at his fellow ANBU captain, prompting him to launch into the story._

"_It was like that, just worse. Well, I guess it was better since we had our medic. But you weren't there. So maybe it **was** worse. Hard to say." Tenzou had frowned and slowly stirred his drink, pausing._

_Kakashi had quickly sipped his bitter shochu, waiting for Tenzou to continue._

"_We were doing recon, and as soon as I realized we were missing one person, I was in combat and only counted one other of my team standing. We called in Team 2... by the time they got there I must have been out. These guys were skilled, and fast. You know how rare it is for ANBU to actually **skirmish** with other villages' special forces, but these guys..." Tenzou had sighed. "I can't imagine them having been anything else. It was a massacre!" He had slurred loudly while shaking the Copy-nin's shoulder. Kakashi had remained attentive but unperturbed. He'd learned the best way to handle drunk Tenzou over the years from Asuma. Let him rant, let him cry, **don't**__let him near the karaoke setup, and carry him home once he'd passed out. It was simply how Tenzou dealt with the stress._

"_Everyone has their way._" Kakashi reflected_._

_After a few minutes' pause, Tenzou had continued quietly._

"_She got real messed up, Kakashi. Your student."_

_Kakashi had felt his heart twist, a faraway pain in his chest. She was a comrade, after all. For him, he felt nearly the same as he had when he'd heard about Tenzou's mishap. But he knew better than to encourage the chatty drunk. He would get an earful as it was. With a muted, "Hn." Kakashi had drained his drink._

And so he had ended up here after carrying Tenzou home piggyback (again). From his treetop perch he could easily see into her hospital room, he tried to justify his actions by telling himself that he just wanted to assess the situation before making his move, he didn't want to impose on Sakura.

But it was _bad_. And he felt _sorry _for her.

Kakashi frowned slightly under his mask. At the same time, he felt anger towards whomever had done this to her. There would be no immediate retaliation from the village though, he knew. That was how black ops worked. Konoha ninja had no "official" business in Taka to begin with. All the same, the offending party had injured one of Konoha's best kunoichi, a black ops captain and killed several other valuable ninja. There would be _investigation_.

"_You never really **quit** ANBU..."_

He was certain he could be of some assistance.

As Sakura apparently began to settle down to sleep, Kakashi tried to calm his thoughts, but just watching her fumble with the lamp switch and then struggle tiredly to pull the blanket into place about her shoulders made him burn with fury and at the same time a heavy pity settled in his stomach. His jaw tightened. Injured or not, he knew she'd see it. She'd always been able to read a little more into that droopy, reticent eye than most others. He knew she wasn't likely to bring it up to him, but that didn't change the feelings that battled within him. A kunoichi of her caliber didn't deserve his pity. He would only cheapen her sacrifice with his involvement, he decided as he leapt silently down onto the street, turning his back on the hospital that had become Sakura's home.

"_Besides, she's already tucked herself in."_

* * *

"_Tat-tat-tat!"_

Kakashi was already awake and had felt his former student's familiar chakra signature before the young man had announced his presence.

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei!" The village's number-one loudmouth ninja called through the door. "Kakashi!"

"_Tat-tat-tat!"_

The copy nin sighed but didn't waste another moment in throwing the coverlet off and answering the door in his pajamas. With an exaggerated eye-crinkle, he greeted the blonde.

"Oh, Naruto! Ohayo!" He said cheerily.

Naruto wasn't exactly smiling. "You haven't been to the hospital."

Kakashi returned Naruto's sour look with an apologetic smile. "Yes I have."

Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly and clarified, "You haven't been to see Sakura."

Kakashi paused for a moment. "Actually, I have."

Naruto crossed his arms and pouted. "Oh, really?"

"You know that stops working after, oh say, age three?"

Naruto didn't budge.

"Okay, _maybe_ four."

Naruto sighed and followed Kakashi as he retreated back into his apartment. Kakashi winced inwardly as he noted the look of determination on the blonde's face; there wouldn't be an easy way out of this. He leisurely measured some coffee into the machine as he formulated a plan to persuade Naruto to calm down.

"So why haven't you _visited_ her? You know what I mean."

Kakashi leaned back onto the counter. "Well..." He began. He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair. He rubbed his Sharingan eye. He glanced at Naruto. "I hate the hospital?" He offered hopefully.

"You know, Sakura has done so much for you. Remember that solo mission you came back from last year, the one where you passed out in the hospital lobby from blood loss?"

How could he forget?

"Or how about all the times she's bought you dinner?"

"Willingly?" Kakashi muttered, and Naruto shot him a dark look that said "_Whose fault is that?_"

"Aside from that, she's your teammate, one of your precious people, and a fellow ANBU operative."

Kakashi sucked his teeth at the last remark. Again, this wouldn't be easy.

"Naruto, you think I don't know that? But trust me, I have my reasons." If the ridiculously straightforward answer wouldn't work, he'd play the esoteric past card.

"Care to share? I can't think of any that justify you not visiting Sakura. And come to think of it, why are you resisting so much?"

At that moment, the coffee machine beeped loudly, and Kakashi turned and busied himself with getting a couple of mugs poured. After a few minutes, the two had seated themselves at Kakashi's tiny breakfast-lunch-and-dinner table. As Kakashi took his first sip, Naruto gave it another go.

"After all we've been through, you're holding out on me now?"

Kakashi winced inwardly again, but he caved to Naruto's persistent questioning. He'd have to come clean despite his obvious preference to remain enigmatic. There were some situations where it couldn't be helped. Kakashi looked Naruto in the eye and spoke quietly but earnestly.

"To put it simply, I don't want to make things harder on her than they already are. She's got half the village visiting her, bringing her gifts and well-wishes. And every one of those people look down on her in her bed with the same sorry looks on their faces." He paused. "I don't want to do that to her. She doesn't deserve it from me, or anyone. She's given too much to this village to be belittled by that kind of treatment." _"Believe me, I've been there."_ An uncomfortable silence followed.

"Heh. Is that it?" Naruto spoke in a low voice as his eyes softened and he smiled sadly. "That's a great reason. But you know something?" Naruto paused to make eye contact again. "Did you ever think that even though so many people visit her, myself included, your visit wouldn't be missed?" Naruto closed his eyes. "Every day that goes by without your visit is hard on Sakura-chan. Even though we are ANBU now, we're still your teammates. Team 7 is like a family?" He almost whispered the last words. Kakashi closed his eye in response.

Naruto stood in preparation to leave. "I was also wondering if you wouldn't have any advice to offer her. You must have something to say to make her feel better, at least about her mission if nothing else." Naruto's tone was suddenly much lighter and he said the words over his shoulder, sending Kakashi a smile simultaneously. "I'm sure she'll be happy to see you, no matter what." Naruto grinned at his former sensei. Kakashi stood and silently agreed with Naruto as he followed him to the door.

"I'll see you later. Say 'hi' to Sakura-chan for me?" Naruto's smile didn't fade.

Kakashi didn't know whether to laugh or bash his head into the doorjamb. The kid was going to make a hell of a Hokage when the time came.

"Yeah, of course." He settled with the familiar eye-crinkling smile again.

Naruto nodded in approval and saluted the Copy-nin as he left, satisfied with a job well done.

Kakashi sighed as he closed the door and started to look for some pants. If he was going to visit Sakura, the least he could do was _not_ show up empty-handed.

* * *

The copy ninja hesitated as he stood on Sakura's balcony, hand poised to open the sliding door.

"_I don't want to invade her space."_

"_But she can't possibly be comfortable in those hospital robes. She'll appreciate it."_

"_But you're breaking and entering."_

"_It wouldn't be the first time, would it? Besides you're like family right?"_

"That's what Naruto says..." He muttered to himself. After an hour of slouching around the marketplace he decided that there wasn't a trinket in town that would convey his concern for her. The kitschy cards and mass-produced robes and house-shoes were unappealing and impersonal. He had almost gone into Yamanaka's flower shop, but upon spying Ino at the counter he decided to avoid the opportunity to re-enact an afternoon court drama (he never could seem to get along with that girl...). Instead, on a whim, he decided to bring some of the comforts of Sakura's home to her.

He shucked his sandals before entering, and was glad for it. Sakura's apartment was well-maintained; _clean_, to put it plainly. The whole place smelled very faintly of apples and sandalwood incense, there wasn't a spot on the carpet and the kitchen was immaculate. Kakashi smirked under his mask as he compared Sakura's apartment to Naruto's.

"Heh."

He didn't touch anything but noted last year's group photo of Team 7 resting comfortably on the mantle among some pictures of what must have been her family and of course, Ino. Still smiling he headed down a small hallway to her room. The smile quickly fell from his face, however; in stark contrast to her front rooms, her bedroom was a disaster area. Clothes were thrown everywhere, several different backpacks sat on her bed and medical supplies covered every centimeter of her bedside table. Kakashi took a deep breath as he kicked aside some of her jeans uncertainly.

"Damn..." He cursed under his breath. _"She'd better appreciate this!"_ Kakashi narrowed his eyes as he grabbed an empty backpack and headed toward her dresser, jerking the first drawer open. Almost immediately he had to refrain from slamming it shut, and he sniffed as he felt a tell-tale trickle of blood make its way toward his mask. Of course, the first drawer he opened _would_ be stuffed to the brim with a variety of colorful panties; a myriad of butterflies and elastic, lace and satin assaulted him. Kakashi promptly rolled his eyes toward the ceiling, seized an admittedly silky fistful of the drawer's contents and unceremoniously tossed them into the bottom of the backpack. Crisis averted.

"Phew..."

Kakashi opened the next drawer with more caution, but it seemed that he was safe – for the time being. He tossed some pajama bottoms and tank tops into the bag, then threw an issue jounin uniform (minus flak vest) in, just in case. Additionally he espied a plain black sports bra and some socks and threw the clothing into the sack without really looking. He knew from experience they'd have her shoes at the hospital, possibly even her tactical medic's vest, but the rest of her clothes had probably been disposed of. He made another pit stop in the kitchen and grabbed some rice cookies from the pantry (she always seemed to be munching on those), and returned to the back door. In a moment he had locked the place back up, and after pulling on his sandals he took to the rooftops and fairly flew toward the hospital, focusing on the run rather than the destination.

Finally he arrived at the hospital, albeit a little later than planned. Kakashi didn't give it a second thought as he made his way to her room, one lazy step at a time. He checked the name tag beside the third-floor door and with not a little trepidation, reached for the handle, sliding the obstruction away slowly and sticking his head in.

"Yo." He intoned simply.

Sakura smiled brightly at him, she had heard him coming. "I didn't think that _you_ would be the one visiting me today!" He could hear the effort she put into making sure he understood her, and although he smiled outwardly, he was wincing on the inside. _"Poor thing."_ He wouldn't let himself think those thoughts. She looked good though, he noted, she had a good color. _"She's not jaundiced you idiot."_ How he hated the hospital, it was the only place in the village that made him feel like this. Inept, insecure, like a moron.

Sakura lifted her arms toward him, and surprised, Kakashi entered and hastily put down the pack to return her embrace. He felt her sigh against him. "I was starting to worry about you." She chortled into his vest. Kakashi smiled genuinely at her this time, _"Sakura, worried for me? Hah, still the same old Sakura. Stay strong, girl."_ He rooted for her mentally. "Is that my bag?" Sakura looked happy but suspicious.

"Yeah, I thought you might want some stuff from home." He scratched the place where his mask wrapped around the back of his neck briefly.

It was Sakura's turn to wince and she wrinkled her nose. "Sorry about the place, I was so nervous before the mission and I was getting all my stuff together..."

"No worries." Kakashi held up a hand and felt even more self-conscious. "It wasn't a big deal. Your apartment's no worse than Naruto's – not even close actually." He tacked on hastily. _"The living room and kitchen were clean..."_

"True." Sakura laughed lightheartedly at her former sensei's discomfort, and the sound chased away all the awkwardness of the situation instantly.

Kakashi smiled easily and pulled up a chair.

"So, how's it going?"

"As good as can be expected, really." Sakura's smile fell slightly, but he could see something... shining in her. "I've been walking."

"That's good. It's only been a week?" They both knew how long it'd been since she woke up but for the sake of conversation...

"Just about." She agreed. "Tsunade expects me to make a full recovery. And you know Naruto..." She smiled fondly and Kakashi nodded in agreement. "He won't let me _not_ recover!" She laughed. "He's been here every day, bugging me." She acted annoyed but Kakashi could tell she was thankful deep down under than thick kunoichi skin she'd build up over the years.

"Well that's peachy." Kakashi smirked. "Trapped in a room with no escape from the loudest ninja in the village." Kakashi rose to stretch. "I hope you're allowed to take aspirin?"

Sakura laughed. "Better, they've got me on the good stuff." She tapped her IV tube.

"Ha." He paused for a moment, looking around the room. "Well... I'm gonna head out, then. I just wanted to bring that stuff by, make sure you were doing okay - you know."

Sakura nodded in acknowledgment. "I'm just glad you _did _come. See you soon?"

"_You sly thing..." _"Un." Kakashi grunted noncommittally, smiling the whole time. "Ja, ne!" He waved back at her before leaving the room.

"_See, that wasn't so bad you big coward." _

Kakashi sighed lightly to himself and left.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: In case it wasn't clear before, italics in parentheses indicate thoughts. _"This would be a thought!"_ But if the italics are part of a sentence then they are there for emphasis. "Like _this, _you see?" Also, I highly recommend listening to Jet's _Do You Wanna Be My Girl?_ For the first bit here until the break, I don't usually do those kinds of things to you guys but I definitely lol'ed when I wrote this and read back over it while listening to the song. Enjoy.

**Chapter 3**

_Starter_

With each passing day, Sakura's condition improved, and soon she was able to get out of bed and walk about her room by herself. As soon as she was ambulatory, she decided to investigate the pack that had been sitting by the bedside table, right where Kakashi had left it. She smiled broadly as she unzipped the pack and noted that right on top rested a bag of her favorite rice crackers. "Score!" She cheered to herself, immediately unwrapping a cookie. She proceeded to sort through the contents of the pack, sighing with relief at the sight of her familiar belongings. However, as she pulled the last pair of pants out of the bottom of the pack, a deep blush crept up her neck and soon her face was red and hot. She slid her fingers through the silky scraps of cloth at the bottom of the pack, then violently grabbed a fistful and jerked them out. Sakura stared at the contents of her fist incredulously.

"No way." She breathed to herself. "Of all the panties in that drawer... he _would _bring me a bunch of stretch-satin thongs..." Sakura's eyes narrowed and her mouth formed a small 'o'. She stared at the underwear some more, seeing red as realization came over her. _"And the bastard packed them __**first**__..."_

"**PERVERT**!" She screamed for the entire hospital to hear.

And Naruto chose that moment to enter the room.

* * *

"Waah – choo!" Kakshi's head tipped forward from the force of his massive sneeze.

"Right in the mask!" Genma cheered, leaning against the wall next to the bulletin board in the jounin lounge.

Kakashi ignored him and continued to peruse the jounin mission bulletins. _"Not much here, is there? Much less missions to Taka..."_

"Hey, Kakashi?"

Kakashi took his time answering. "Ah?" He glanced over at the jounin.

"Watch'ya looking for?" He tilted the senbon up and down between his lips. "Anything in particular?"

Kakashi looked over the last mission on the board with mild disappointment. _"Of course there wouldn't be anything, not so soon after the incident."_ Shrugging, he put his hands in his pockets and turned to leave.

"Nothing, really." He _almost_ sighed as he walked away.

"There are some interesting missions downstairs."

Kakashi paused.

"Good paying too." Genma stood to stretch, approaching the silver-haired man from behind.

Kakashi smirked at his friend's roundabout way of asking him to participate.

"S-class?"

"Rain." Genma confirmed. "You in?"

"Hmm..." Kakashi hesitated. At that moment, the door flew open, then slammed closed with a _bang_. A panting Naruto rested against it, an angry red handprint decorating his face. Kakashi and Genma stared at him, bemused. Immediately, Naruto strode up to his former sensei and grabbed his upper arm.

"Kakashi-sensei, Sakura is pissed!"

Kakashi's eye widened. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, but it's your fault and I'm not allowed to ask her about it." Naruto pointed to his face in frustration.

"_Not good."_ "About that mission, Genma..."

Genma smirked at Kakashi. "Looks like you've got other obligations. Naruto? I've got a proposition for you." Genma threw his arm around the young ANBU recruit and Kakashi's eye narrowed at the long-haired jounin. _"You slimy-"_

"See you later Kakashi!" Genma proceeded to drag Naruto toward the stairs.

Resigned, Kakashi put his hands back in his pockets, in a black mood. He was glad that Sakura was doing better, but he was not looking forward to her wrath. He squinted in the sunlight as he exited the jounin headquarters building, gazing toward the hospital for a moment.

"_Maybe I can calm her down before she really has a chance to be angry at me."_ He turned from the hospital and stalked toward the center of town instead. _"What could she be upset with me for anyway?"_ He turned another page in the _Icha Icha_ novel that had suddenly appeared in his hand. Kakashi wracked his brain as he pretended to read. _"I didn't do anything wrong. It's probably some kind of misunderstanding... the pack? The cookies?"_ Kakashi shook his head slightly as he imagined himself welcoming her home from the hospital, holding a giant sign that read _"You're not fat."_. _"That's a bad idea..."_ He'd dismissed it as soon as it had come to him. As he pushed the door to the Yamanakas' flower shop open he shoved his dirty book back into his pocket. Ino had grilled him badly enough the last time, with her sweet smile and her raised, guilt-tripping eyebrow. But a sigh of relief escaped him – there at the counter stood Ino's mother. Sure, she was a terrible gossip, but at least she wasn't as... _abrasive_ as her daughter.

"Hello." Kakashi greeted casually.

"Welcome back!" Ino's mother smiled brightly at him. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Kakashi nodded, resting a hand on the counter. "Got anything that says 'Feel better soon' and 'I'm sorry'?"

Mrs. Yamanaka's tinkling laugh brought a faint flush to his face. Really, Kakashi would rather fight a horde of zombie ninja than battle through these awkward social situations...

"Maybe." She cocked her head at him and pursed her lips. She crossed her arms, seemingly evaluating the jounin before her. "Who did you hurt? Do I know them?"

Kakashi managed a brief laugh. "It's nothing like that. Sakura-chan is upset with me."

"Oh!" A brief look of pity flashed across her face. "Haha. I see. Well, then." Mrs. Yamanaka turned on her heel and came around the counter with a purpose, combing through her arrangements for something special. She motioned for Kakashi to follow her.

"Okay, you have two choices. Well, one really. But two formats, in a pot or in a vase." She was all business now. "Hyacinth says forgiveness. And nothing like the color white says 'sorry'."

"_Or surrender."_ "Okay... what about the pink ones?"

"Friendship." Her plastic smile didn't fade.

Kakashi paused. "Could we... mix them?" He finished lamely with a vague, airy hand gesture.

"Haha. Yeah." She picked up the two potted plants he'd gestured towards. "I'll be just a minute."

After he'd paid, Kakashi walked away from the flower shop, gift in tow. His last intention was to confront Sakura in the hospital, he'd let her cool off first. Preferably for a couple of weeks. He headed toward her apartment again, hoping that the flowers' presence would offset the fact that he'd had to break into her house again to put them there. _"And water them..."_ He reminded himself. Kakashi let himself in from the balcony without hesitating and deposited the plant on her coffee table so it'd catch the rays of the morning sun as Ino's mother had suggested. He paused for a moment before taking his leave. The very faint scents of apple and sandalwood he remembered from before mixed, not at all unpleasantly, with the florid scent of the hyacinth. Satisfied, he turned to leave.

"_I hope she likes them."_

* * *

The days sped by into weeks, and although Naruto was gone for the time being, he hadn't left without saying goodbye and giving her a reassuring hug. Sakura had apologized before sending him off, she couldn't let him go an an S-rank mission without clearing the air between them. Although Naruto hadn't seemed to really mind. _"Typical Naruto."_ Sakura smiled to herself, and a sense of thankfulness filled her heart. _"If it hadn't been for him I wouldn't have __come this far..."_ Sakura sat on the edge of her bed in her jounin uniform, today would be her last evaluation and, drawing from her own medical knowledge, she was sure they'd be sending her home. It had been difficult, and she'd spent most of spring and almost half of the summer recovering. She still wasn't ready for missions (and certainly not those of ANBU ranking!), but she could mold chakra almost perfectly again and her mobility and speech were nearly normal. All that was really left was her strength training, and Tsunade had already hinted at assigning her a coach who would help whip her back into shape. Sakura smiled with satisfaction. _"Today is the day!" _She cheered inwardly as the door slid open and Tsunade stepped in. Sakura jumped off of the bed enthusiastically.

"Shishou!" She bowed slightly toward the older woman and practically beamed as she saw Tsunade's face smiling back at her, tan eyes sharp and shining. Tsunade's fingers tightened around the folder in her hand as she began.

"I've looked over your records and I'd say you're good to go. I'm giving you two weeks of leave and then I want to see you back in the trauma ward every morning from seven to eleven-thirty."

Sakura clenched her fists in her excitement. "I'll be here!" She was thrilled to go back to her old job so soon... _"Then again, it has been awhile, hasn't it?"_ Sakura pushed away the thought abruptly and the questions spilled out. "Who am I training with? When do I start? And if you need me to be here more, I'm sure I can-"

"Take it easy!" Tsunade half-barked, half-laughed. "I haven't decided who you're training with yet. You'll start strength training on Wednesday and dammit, you're not going to be pulling twelve-hour shifts for awhile!"

Sakura laughed with her and suddenly she threw herself into Tsunade's arms. _"Thanks for everything."_ Tsunade returned her embrace. _"Thanks for pulling through, Sakura. I'm glad you made it." _The Fifth Hokage smirked as her kunoichi apprentice broke away.

"Go home!" She bellowed.

Sakura didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

The fact that it needed lots of shade made it a good plant for a ninja owner, as one could leave it inside all the time. It needing so much water was another story. No matter how long Kakashi seemed to leave Mr. Ukki alone, he always seemed to be able revive the plant upon returning from missions. He frowned at the picky plant, but he had an obligation to keep it alive. Besides, once Sakura returned, the responsibility would fall to her. He half-filled the coffee mug in his hand with water for the fastidious plant once again, and he looked up as the knob turned slowly on Sakura's front door.

"_Sakura!"_ He readied himself for their imminent confrontation, fully expecting the Sakura of his last hospital visit to creep timidly into the apartment. He was instead greeted by a clearly agitated kunoichi, one ready for a fight. As soon as she looked at him, her eyes flashed and narrowed.

"Why hello, Kakashi. Mind telling me what you're doing in my apartment?"

Kakashi stood motionless, trying to find words.

Sakura cracked her knuckles in response to Kakashi's silence.

"Sneaking in another visit to my panty drawer? Or perhaps you were browsing my pantry?"

He needed to stop her before her accusations got out of hand... wait, _panties_? _"Distract her with something neutral! Something neutral!"_

"Actually, I was watering your plant." He deadpanned.

Sakura paused in mild surprise, giving him the chance he needed.

"I knew you were upset with me." He began quietly, sidling around her and into the living room. She followed him, if a little reluctantly. "So I thought I'd get you a gift." _"I'm sorry."_ He flashed a small, hopeful smile at her. Sakura looked from her sensei to the plant and back to Kakashi. Resigned, she uncrossed her arms and struck her forehead lightly with her palm, smiling the entire time.

"Heh, I can't stay mad at any of you for long..." She felt annoyed but the words sounded sweet as she said them.

"_Phew... it worked..."_ Kakashi didn't show Sakura how relieved he felt. He smiled wider, a little more genuinely this time and poured the water in the mug into the flowerpot. _"See?"_

"Hah..." Sakura sighed as she flopped onto her couch. "Well, thanks for keeping an eye on the place? I don't know what to think about you breaking in on a daily basis, but your intentions were good."

Kakashi walked back into the kitchen to put away the mug and decided to address the awkwardness between them from there.

"So what did I do again? Remind me."

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned her head across the back of the couch, hair fanning out behind her.

"_I probably just overreacted, if he doesn't even know what he did..."_ "Nothing..."

"Uh-huh. And that's why you popped Naruto in the face."

Sakura scrunched her eyes shut.

"Tea?"

Kakashi could be infuriating sometimes. Infuriatingly understanding and perceptive. She nodded even as she heard the teacups hit the counter and the scrape of metal on metal as he extracted a pot from the cabinet.

"It doesn't matter. Can we just drop it?"

Kakashi nodded. Rather, she felt that he probably had nodded; she couldn't see him but he didn't respond so she assumed that he didn't care enough to pursue the topic. _"That or he'll get the information another way."_

Perceptive, maybe, but predictable to a degree.

Meanwhile, Kakashi was wracking his brain for things to talk about but he kept thinking back to Sakura's panty drawer. _"So many panties..."_ He shook his head slightly as though to clear his thoughts. What had her so uncomfortable? They'd been on the same team for years, it wasn't as though he hadn't caught glimpses of them here and there, though he'd never gone out of his way to pay special attention to them before... He turned off the water just before it boiled and poured it over the strainerful of tea and into the teapot. _"It's the same thing that has **you** embarrassed. You were snooping around in her room, uninvited. She probably thinks you went straight for the panty drawer."_ He pursed his lips under his mask as he covered the teapot. _"Right, I'm the pervy sensei. Great."_ He rolled his eyes. _"Mystery solved."_

"I'm starting strength training on Wednesday."

"So soon?" Count on Sakura to clear the air. She had enough practice, between Naruto and Sai, that was for sure.

"I've been out for almost three and a half months."

"Ah."

"Yeah." Sakura jumped out of the couch and pulled herself up onto the kitchen counter behind Kakashi, who promptly turned to face her.

"_Uh..."_ "Who are you training with?"

"I don't know yet." She eyed him suspiciously.

Kakashi threw up his hands. "Don't look at me! Tsunade hasn't said anything about it to me. Hasn't even called me in for a meeting in weeks."

A look of relief crossed her face, and Kakashi wasn't sure if he was hurt or thankful. "So there haven't even been any serious missions these last two months?" Sakura laughed to herself.

Thankful it was.

"Nope." He turned and busied himself with the cups.

"Oh good, Kami I worried that I was being a burden, that people were out there dying without their medic, that -"

"The place was falling apart without you? Nope." He smiled at her as he handed Sakura her tea. "Not to say that you weren't missed. But we got along without you."

"Geez. Way to make me feel needed!" Sakura swung at him lightheartedly and he ducked easily, laughing to himself.

"So who do you think she's picked?"

Sakura sighed and sipped her tea. "I don't know. Some random ANBU? Someone I don't know? Some hard-ass jounin?" She smirked at Kakashi, accusing. He drank his tea through his mask, making a show of ignoring her.

"I bet I know who she picks."

"You think?"

Kakashi sent a look at her from under that droopy eyelid that said, "Really?".

Suddenly Sakura's eyes widened and she shook her head slightly at Kakashi.

"She wouldn't."

The look portrayed on the sliver of Kakashi's face that was exposed to her clearly indicated that he believed otherwise. He sipped more tea nonchalantly, draining the cup.

"Oh god, you're right. She _would_..." Sakura complained, sliding down from the counter to her feet and wiping her hand across her face in exasperation. "Really?"

"Haha, _I'd_ ask him to help you out if I was the Hokage, too, to be honest."

Sakura turned beet red and stared at Kakashi. "Oh, Kami. I hope it's Gai and not Lee. Please don't be Lee." She lamented.

"As though one were worse than the other." He murmured, turning to leave. "Ja, ne, I'll leave you to it then."

"Yeah, thanks for coming by. Thanks for – lifting my spirits. It was great." Sakura muttered sarcastically.

"_Anytime!"_ Kakashi smiled brightly at her and they exchanged brief salutes as he let himself out of her apartment.

"Ma-an!" Sakura complained to herself. _"This is gonna suck!"_

* * *

Three days later, Sakura stood outside of the arranged meeting place, which was located suspiciously close to the village gates. She glanced at Izumo and Kotetsu who were smiling a little too brightly, given the hour, and she looked at her watch in turn. _"Eight-oh-two..."_

"Sakura-san!" The cry came from behind her and Sakura turned around slowly, robotically, with a wide smile pasted to her face. "Lee-kun." She greeted him. _"Damn you Kakashi... You called it..."_

"Sakura-san! I'm honored to have the opportunity to assist you in recovering your renowned monstrous strength!" He pumped his fist into the air and smiled so brightly that she could have sworn that the sunshine was literally reflecting off of his front teeth and straight into her eyes. Sakura blinked as he continued headlong into one of his signature rants. "I will not allow the springtime of your youth to be sullied by a mere injury! No, my dearest Sakura-san, my delicate cherry blossom! You will be like the wild rose of the forest: beautiful, hardy and umm..." He faltered, but his smile didn't waver.

"Spiny?" Sakura supplied, pressing her fingers into her eyes and surrendering herself to her assigned fate.

"Yes! Spiny, as all kunoichi should be!" The Green Beast's twin agreed enthusiastically.

Sakura shook her head. He certainly made it clear that he cared if nothing else. Even if he _was_ annoying...

"_Okay, lets stop you while you're ahead..."_ "Alright Lee, we gonna stretch or what?"

Lee nodded and set a hand on his hip, winking _and_ smiling _**and**_ making a thumbs-up at her...

Yes, it was going to be a long day...

…More like a long two weeks. Between training in the mornings with Lee and then swapping her schedule the next week because of her shifts at the hospital, Sakura hadn't realized just how much recovering she still had to do. Three months out of commission had definitely weakened her more than she'd realized, but at the same time she could feel her muscles slowly toning up. Again, Kakashi had been right: Lee _was_ the best person for the job. He was approaching Naruto's levels of positivity, and his will was like Naruto's, only heated, tempered and hardened once again. She'd run laps around the village, she'd somehow been suckered into a push-up competition with Lee and for the first time in her life, Tenten had become her saving grace. But it was not Tenten's scolding voice nor bubbling laugh that caught her attention as a shadow passed across her face during a brief moment of rest. It had been so long... but Sakura was ready. She opened her eyes as the small bird perched on her forehead protector for lack of a better place to land. _Tap, tap!_ The bird pecked at the metal and Sakura rolled her eyes, gently shooing it away.

"I'm coming!" Sakura couldn't keep the curiosity out of her voice. Two weeks and they were already summoning her for missions? What, did Madame Shijimi's cat get out again? Sakura smirked at the thought of chasing Tora down in full ANBU gear as she drained her water bottle and wiped her face. With a quick "Duty calls!", she saluted Lee and ran off to the Hokage's office. As she ran, she wondered if she shouldn't swing by her house and grab her gear, she almost decided not to but those birds were ANBU messengers. Granted, sometimes they were used for communications to special jounin like Ebisu and Kakashi but it was rare... _"Better grab it, just in case."_ The summons wasn't _that_ urgent since they hadn't sent an ANBU agent to get her, but it was better to be safe. She burst into her apartment and leapt to her room, grabbed the pack that she had decided she should have at the ready for these missions and threw on her crisp, new medic's vest. As her fingers left the zipper at her side she felt a choking wave of sadness envelop her and she closed her eyes and gripped her vest over her heart to try and quell the feeling.

"_Not now..." _She screwed her eyes shut and took a deep breath through clenched teeth. She'd dealt with the physical aftermath of the mission, and of course she had given a good amount of thought to what had happened, but she still hadn't gotten over it, and the guilt and disgust at herself that twisted in her stomach was enough to make her sick. Suddenly her eyes snapped open and almost frantically, she threw her pack around her shoulders, quickly checking through her vest and reassuring herself that her supplies were there. She took one more moment and stood stock-still in her room, taking a few deep breaths as her fists clenched painfully, nails digging into the thin leather in the palms of her black arm protectors. _"I will do this. It's my duty to protect the village. I will not flinch and I will not falter. My team needs me."_ Sakura's medium-length hair fanned out behind her slightly as she whirled to leave, but she paused again as she reached the front door. Little did she know how much like her ex-sensei she looked as she glanced over her shoulder with love and a little droopy-eyed irritation at her plant. Hurriedly, she filled a coffee cup with water and dumped it unceremoniously into the terracotta pot that still sat on her little-used coffee table, right where Kakashi had put it. Ignoring the droplets that had splashed out of the pot and onto the glass she slid her mask down over her face and fairly flew out the front door. With a gentle click, she left her feelings at the door and ran across the hot rooftops toward Tsunade's office.

* * *

AN : I am sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, but I am happy to say I had a FANTABULOUS birthday which involved me dressing up like a dork and drinking myself silly with friends :D In other news, bad for me and good for you, I'm getting all four of my wisdom teeth pulled on the seventeenth. I anticipate that I'll be writing like a psycho during that time and I'll probably bust out three chapters that week instead of one (the normal one on Tuesday/Wednesday then one on Friday/Saturday and possibly another on Sunday/Monday), considering that I won't be able to talk and I won't be going to work, and my computer is practically attached to my bed. Much love, thank you for all of the amazing reviews and the chapters will be coming faster now.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: There is a character death in this chapter. I couldn't get around it. Thanks for understanding. Also, the tone is changing. Everything is changing really... Sorry I'm in a wierd mood!

**Chapter 4**

_The Rain Stops_

Tsunade appraised the shinobi before her. They were dependable, reliable and experienced – maybe even overqualified for the mission at hand. But there was a need for discretion on this mission, the information that team one was supposed to be retrieving from Rain was highly classified. And so she looked each mask-less ANBU in the face before launching into her assignment.

"We've got three ANBU returning from Rain tonight, I want a team to meet them at the border. Sakura, you're there strictly for healing purposes. I don't want you fighting unless there is a dire emergency. Kakashi and Aoba, you two will be guarding her to the border, then Genma will defer to you" Tsunade nodded vaguely in Kakashi's direction "and you'll take charge of the mission. Assuming the scrolls we were after were recovered, they will be your responsibility. I expect you all to return within three days; you should be meeting the three-man team at the border by nightfall tomorrow. If they don't cross over by then I want you calling for backup." Tsunade raised a stern eyebrow at Kakashi through sheer force of habit. Kakashi saluted her in turn, bowing slightly, and responded with a confident "Hai!". A moment later, the team had exited the window and they were running toward the northeastern edge of the village.

Sakura smiled to herself under her mask. Though that niggling worry that everything _wouldn't _be okay persisted in the back of her mind, it felt good to run through the treetops again, to hear the cicadas in the trees and pass over the various animals of the forest silently, unnoticed. There was also the reassurance that Kakashi's presence had always provided, it had been like a standby for her throughout her genin career. Through her teen years he'd been around much less, it was true. But he'd always been capable, dedicated and dependable... on missions, anyway. When it came to his personal side though, he'd always been... _stand-offish._ Sakura allowed her thoughts to wander across the topic, distracting herself from the monotony of the forest. _"Why is it that he's so quiet? Usually when I hear him talk its either about something tactical or it's small talk. When he's out with friends it seems like he's the 'quiet one'."_ An image of Sasuke's brooding face clouded her mind's eye for a moment, but she dismissed it immediately, out of habit. _"Kakashi Hatake, mysterious ninja of the leaf." _she half-joked to herself. _**"Actually, that's not far off the mark."** _Inner Sakura seemed to roll her eyes at Sakura. The edge of her lip twitched downwards under her mask in the tiniest frown of dissatisfaction. _"Everyone needs someone to talk to, a friend to lean on. I wonder if Kakashi talks to the people he goes out with, or if his private life stays private, as it did with Team 7..." _Sakura imagined Kakashi out with Yamato-senpai, leaning drunkenly on him and spilling his guts messily over a frothy glass of beer. Her frown transformed into a smirk. _"Yeah right."_

Sakura stifled a sigh. At least he was agreeable. He was an excellent leader, and a good judge of character. _"My favorite thing about him is that he's never given up on any of us..."_ The sentence went unfinished in her mind. There was no way to really know what Kakashi had been thinking that day so long ago when they had fought Sasuke, but she felt that he had maybe given up on his former star student. Either way, Sakura knew in her heart that _she _had given up on Sasuke. Even though she tried to push away those dark thoughts, disappointed and confused feelings still lingered. All the same, she felt that it didn't matter anymore. Betrayal of that magnitude didn't merit her affections and she wouldn't waste any further time thinking about the traitorous Uchiha heir.

Instead she'd distract herself with the view...

And a wonderful view it was. One of the perks of her job was that everyone she worked with had a fantastic physique (herself notwithstanding). As her ANBU companions darted through the treetops immediately in front of her, she looked them over appreciatively. Both agents were well toned and although strong, not overwhelmingly muscular. She noted the differences between the two men; Aoba had a smaller frame and his butt was pretty average, while Kakashi... well, for a guy she guessed he sort of had a shapely butt. It wasn't girly, but it was definitely more round than Aoba's. Sakura grinned as the thought crossed her mind. _"He's cute, but he's way to old for me. As if I could get close to the mysterious copy-nin to begin with." _**_"It'd be bad for the missions, I'm too old for you, I'm going to go get lost on the path of life now, blah blah, blah blah."_ **Inner Sakura sing-songed childishly in her head in a less-than-accurate portrayal of Kakashi's serious voice. Sakura rolled her eyes. As if she needed another complicated, baggage-laden relationship. If one could call what she had with Sasuke all those years ago a 'relationship'.

She noticed Kakashi send Aoba a small hand signal and the three ninja paused at the next opportunity to confer.

"Sakura, you ok?" Sakura could tell that he didn't mean for it to sound like he was singling her out, but she felt a little hurt that he would pity her like that, especially on the job. She had gathered from the beginning that the mission was structured to tailor to her _needs_. Tsunade had given them almost two-days to cover a distance that ANBU should be able to cover in an evening, and a full day to return as well. She wouldn't try to sugar-coat it, telling herself that it was so she could save chakra for the healing, or for the hurried trip back. The parameters of the mission were set in place solely to compensate for potential issues she could possibly encounter during her first days back in the field.

"I'm well, thanks. You guys?"

Aoba adjusted his mask and Kakashi's silence was affirmation enough.

"No reason to dawdle, we should get going." She could easily run farther.

"We've got plenty of time. We should take a break. We don't want to hang around the border with Ame for any more time than necessary – that's what the border patrol is for." As though in anticipation of her protest, Kakashi unshouldered his pack and leapt gracefully down into the small clearing below. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him slightly but gave in. Who was she to complain about a rest? And Kakashi definitely had a point about the border with Rain. Sakura pulled her water bottle out and wrangled with her mask for a few moments until she could slip the bottle under it and mostly hide her face while taking a deep drink.

"How long are we stopping for?"

Kakashi looked at the sky for a moment. "Twenty minutes."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him, even though he couldn't see it. She hadn't remembered taking a twenty minute break while traveling since her genin days. Sakura looked around the clearing and then back to Kakashi.

"So, how have you been?" _"That's not awkward."_

Kakashi stared at her. "Uh, good. Plant holding up?"

"Yeah."

Another few moments of silence passed by awkwardly, and Sakura suddenly remembered that Kakashi was so very serious on missions... So very focused. She thought back vaguely to her questions about Kakashi's behavior.

"Why are you always so serious on these missions?" She leaned against the tree they were standing by and crossed her arms. Kakashi's mask tilted toward her slightly as he looked sidelong at her. He sighed quietly.

"Can we afford not to be?" He finally responded to her query with another question.

Sakura tensed with annoyance at the seasoned ANBU beside her.

"It's carelessness that gets people in our line of work killed." He murmured through his mask, barely audible.

Sakura bit her lip and her fingertips dug into her arms a little harder.

Kakashi shook his head and sat down on the ground amidst the roots of their tree. _"New kids. You'd think the war would have had some kind of impact on them. But they're so much softer than we were at their ages. Then again Sakura didn't get her first kill until she was almost sixteen."_ Kakashi closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the trunk. His preteen years had been almost four solid years of bloodbath, and his teen years as a special jounin and an ANBU operative had been more of the same. Things had just been... _different_ for children like him. Kakashi took a deep breath. _Children._ The word held a different meaning for the people of his generation. Yet Sakura's generation was the product of the peace that his generation had made possible for Fire Country. _"This is futile. There's nothing more you can do to pass on that flame... that __**shouldn't**__ be passed on. At least there's the Will of Fire."_

Sakura just stood there next to him, trying to think of something to say to break the silence, wondering at Kakashi's sudden shift in mood and wondering if there was something she could say to make it better, because obviously her previous words had bothered him.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei. You're right, it's true. I guess we shouldn't slack off, even if we _are_ still in Fire Country." She looked toward the edge of the clearing as she heard Aoba approaching from just outside the perimeter. Kakashi looked toward her as he felt the air around them change, suddenly lightened by the smile he could hear in Sakura's voice.

"Especially since we are in Fire Country." Aoba reassured her as he neared the pair. Kakashi got to his feet as Sakura stretched her arms high above her head, cracking her spine.

"Ready?"

Kakashi didn't wait for his companions to answer as he ran lightly up the nearest tree and into the canopy.

* * *

"You bastard! You'd better not die on me!" Naruto cried.

Sai smiled weakly over Naruto's shoulder, mask long since broken to pieces and lost along the way. He spoke softly, just loud enough for his teammate to hear. "You should have left me behind. You're compromising the mission. We were able to get the scrolls, intelligence will have the information they need to make their next move." His smile widened despite his rapidly worsening condition. Naruto gnashed his teeth together and tried to keep his eyes open through the tears that ran freely down his blood and mud covered face, forging new tracks through the filth.

"But - is it worth it?" The whispered words were tense and pained through his stifled sobs.

Sai lowered his head, resting it on Naruto's shoulder as the blonde continued to run across the muddy field after Genma, carrying his wounded teammate piggyback.

As if it couldn't have gotten worse, the steady, cool drizzle that had persisted all morning suddenly became a stiff, pelting downpour. Sai closed his eyes and smiled again, knowing that Naruto knew the answer to his own question. Yes. Yes, of course it was worth it.

* * *

There was something unsettling in the atmosphere as Sakura got ready to start the fire at their camp. They were just a few hours from the border, but Kakashi didn't feel they should get closer since they had until nightfall the next day to get the the meeting point. All the same she didn't feel good about taking the extra time to get there.

Sakura looked across the clearing where Aoba was readying their bedrolls. Kakashi was out getting wood. Sakura sighed quietly to herself as she set the rocks around the small pit she had dug. _**"You're just depressed..."**__ "But why?"_ There was something weighing on her mind, but she couldn't pin it down.

A few minutes later, Kakashi returned with the wood, which she took from him and set into the pit. She sat down heavily next to the fire pit and waited for Kakashi's katon. After a few moments, she turned to look at him.

"Senpai?"

He didn't respond, he only stared at the wood for a few more moments, and Aoba looked up from where he was sitting on his bedroll reading. The three ANBU looked at each other for a moment.

"The forest is so quiet." Sakura whispered.

Kakashi looked at the pit again and then to Aoba, then to Sakura.

Sakura suddenly felt her stomach clench slightly, and not from hunger. She lifted her mask slightly and Kakashi did the same, their eyes meeting.

"Something is wrong." She was almost pleading now.

Kakashi held her gaze for another moment, then nodded. "Let's go." The command was spoken softly but Aoba was already putting away the bedrolls. Soon the trio was making its way back through the dark toward the border with Ame.

* * *

Naruto ran forward into the black deluge, a few steps ahead of Genma.

"_He's so cold..."_ Naruto focused as much of his attention on his running as he could, but Sai's breathing was so shallow now, and his arms hung limp now instead of holding fast to the blonde's shoulders as they had been before. Naruto hiked Sai up further onto his back, ensuring that his arms were looped securely under the pale ANBU's knees.

"We're almost to the border." Genma called quietly to Naruto.

"I know."

"We can't just barrel in without a plan."

Naruto stopped and turned to face Genma. "You carry him for awhile. I'll get your back. We are going to plow through the front line."

Genma's eyes widened slightly under his mask but he didn't argue. If they didn't get Sai back to Konoha as soon as possible... Genma looked at the boy that Naruto had slung over his back. He probably wouldn't make it to Konoha to tell the truth, but they had to _try_. Naruto had come so far for his comrade. Genma nodded, wasting no time. He winced inwardly as he noted that the gauze they had packed into Sai's vest was soaked with blood, and it was starting to seep into the vest as well. Sai was cold and even paler than usual, but he was still breathing. That was good, wasn't it? Genma ran after Naruto as soon as Sai had changed hands.

"_Kami, let us through the border."_

* * *

Sakura, Kakashi and Aoba stopped just within the treeline at the border.

"It's raining like hell over there." Aoba observed.

The ninja rolled out their makeshift beds and Aoba and Sakura lie down for the night while Kakashi kept watch. He stayed up late into the night, staring into the dark wilds of Rain and reminiscing about the many missions that had brought him here. Most had ended decently, but when they went wrong... Kakashi blinked. More often than he'd like to remember, he'd been the only one to return. Granted, sometimes he'd been the only one out to begin with. Kakashi glanced over at Sakura's still figure. She'd finally fallen asleep after almost an hour of tossing and turning. He fought a frown back as he noted how her hair swept across her face, fluttering gently in the wake of her breath as she sighed in her sleep. When she slept like that she looked so innocent and young, like she didn't belong out there in the woods. He'd spent many nights up keeping watch when Team 7 was in its infancy, and he realized that although she'd changed into a woman right before his eyes...

He couldn't honestly tell himself that his feelings toward her hadn't changed. Any man would be attracted to her, physically. And her personality was agreeable to him, he'd known her for so long. It wasn't that he _liked_ her, just... he did like to be around her, he couldn't deny it. It was more as though they had become friends, she wasn't simply his ex-student anymore. And after spending so much time together, she was really easy to be around. Predictable. Caring.

Kakashi looked back out toward the field that was Rain Country. Better not to think of her that way. As a friend. Better to stay safe. Away.

Kakashi's attention was soon brought back to the task at hand, however; a darker speck amidst the blackness caught his eye – a figure approaching the border. It soon divided into two, and the figures were making good time. Kakashi opened his sharingan eye to try and distinguish the identities of the approaching party. Within a minute, he had discerned their identities. Even in the dark he could make out the dim glow that Naruto's hair gave off in the sparse starlight.

And Genma was carrying Sai.

"Sakura, Aoba!"

They roused instantly, Sakura sat bolt upright in her bedroll and her eyes scanned around the perimeter and came to rest on Kakashi.

"Sai."

The word was laden with implication. As the team medic, she was very familiar with that urgent tone. Immediately she grabbed her medic's vest and zipped it up over her clothes. Once she could see the approaching figures with more clarity, she had to fight to keep from running to her friends. They ran right up to the camp and Sakura barely heard Genma's words of thanks. She glanced at Naruto who looked a little worse for the wear but it was apparent where her priorities lie. She reached her hands out to Sai, and even as Aoba and Kakashi helped him onto the ground, Sakura sent waves of chakra into and over his body. Seconds later, she cut his vest off of him and threw the blood-soaked dressings aside, instead pressing a glowing hand to the wound that was slowly leaking blood now.

"_Oh God, Sai, please don't die on me..."_

Sakura pumped her chakra into the hole in his gut, working diligently to repair the tissue there. He'd been bleeding slowly for hours, though. Even a blood-replenishing pill wouldn't save him now. The compression bandage Naruto and Genma had placed over it had only prolonged his ordeal. She had hoped to seal up the hole and then possibly take him back to Konoha for a transfusion.

"Please Sai, if you can hear me, listen. You need to hold on." She didn't even feel the hot tears as they fell onto her hands and then evaporated with the heat of the chakra she was using on her companion. After several silent, intense minutes of healing, Sakura could see that the damage was too extensive, but she couldn't give up without trying. _"I have to save him. I have to try. I can't let him die. He **won't** die." _"He **won't** die!" She ground out through clenched teeth. Sai's breathing was shallower than ever now, rattling quietly in his chest. Slowly, Sai brought a hand up and around Sakura's wrist and she lost her focus; she looked at him, mouth open in shock, cheeks shiny with tears. Sai's lips moved but she couldn't hear the words over the rushing in her ears, she couldn't see to read the words as her whole body began to quake in panic. She felt his hand squeeze her wrist ever so slightly, tugging downwards, and she obliged him, leaning down near his face with her ear to his lips.

"Thank you, Sakura." He whispered. Sakura's eyes widened in turn – his warm breath wasn't reaching her ear anymore.

She whipped her head around to look at his face. It was so peaceful, his lips were curved in a gentle smile and his eyes were closed. He looked like he was sleeping.

"Sai, No!" She screamed. "Don't you dare!" Sakura brought her hands up to his chest and started compressions, unyielding. "We need you! You can't leave us like this! Goddamit, Sai!"

Naruto fell to his knees behind her. His face was pale and he looked sick.

Kakashi heard Sakura's rapid breaths wheezing in her throat before he realized that the chest compressions weren't working. He stood behind her and placed his steady hands on her shoulders, ceasing her hysterical movements.

"Sakura, stop."

"No!" She hung her head and shook it, trying to wipe away the reality before her from her mind.

Kakashi crouched down and squeezed her shoulders a little harder. "Sakura, it's over. You did what you could." He spoke over her shoulder, and his low, soft voice echoed in her mind like ripples on the surface of a pond.

"_...it's over..."_

"_...what you could..."_

"_...You did what you could..."_

Suddenly Sakura spun to face him, still on her knees, and she threw her arms around Kakashi, burying her face in his neck. Uncaring, she cried and cried, and no one stopped her. Kakashi gently placed his arms around her and held her close to his chest.

"_If I had had someone to hold onto when my father died... when Obito died... when Rin died... would I have become someone else?"_ But really that didn't matter, because maybe he wouldn't have there for Sakura if he'd lived a different life. Kakashi knew she needed him in that moment, and for a fleeting instant he thought he might comprehend what Naruto had meant when he had said that Sakura needed him.

Soon enough, Sakura's sobs slowed. She stood and Kakashi let her go. Sakura walked to Naruto, wiping her face. She set a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go home." She whispered.

Naruto tilted his head upward to look at Sakura, but her hair shielded her face from view. He felt so empty, there was nothing to say or do but follow Sakura and Kakashi.

Again, they had become the broken pieces of Team 7.

"_At least I brought Sai back. I'd never leave a companion behind. Never."_ Naruto watched Kakashi and Aoba wrap Sai in a spare blanket, but when Kakashi moved to pick Sai's body up, Naruto stopped him, placing his hand in front of his ex-sensei's chest. No words were necessary. Kakashi stood back as Naruto scooped Sai's body up into his arms. The five ninja leapt into the trees and Naruto led the way back to Konoha.

* * *

The funeral had been hard for everyone.

Few people had attended; what was left of Team 7, as well as Yamato and Genma. Sai hadn't prepared anything for the event either. It pained Sakura to know that Root's ideologies were so deeply seated in her teammate, and nothing that she nor Naruto could have done could erase the trauma that Root had inflicted on his mental state. Yet Sai had been one of the best, and one thing that Team 7 could be sure of was that he had died doing what he loved. In a way it hurt that no one was there to celebrate or thank the artist for his contribution to the village. On the flip side, one could say that had died much as he had lived – unknown and grossly under-appreciated.

Sakura wiped her brow of sweat as she pulled yet another stack of drawings and notebooks out of Sai's closet. Naruto came into the room, carrying another pile of art.

"What are we going to do with all this stuff, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura turned to face him and leaned against the wall. She sighed as she pulled her sweaty tank top away from her body and attempted to get some air circulating in there. "I don't know! There's enough here to open an art gallery dedicated to him! I don't want to sell it, but I don't know what else to do with it?"

"We should sell it. He left everything he owned to us, but we have nowhere to put all of this stuff. And your apartment is no good..."

Sakura sighed. "I still can't believe he left me his condo. I didn't know he _owned_ the place. This is ridiculous." Sakura ran her fingers through her hair, tugging slightly at the roots in exasperation. "There's so much yet so little stuff here. I think I'll keep whatever art is on the walls and the rest... we could distribute it among ourselves? You can take your favorites?" Sakura looked to Naruto hopefully.

"I can take my favorites, and you'll still be left with tons."

"You're right." Sakura picked up a notebook at random off of the bed and flipped through it. When she'd first met Sai he'd done abstract work almost exclusively. But during and after the war he had started to paint, draw and sketch the scenery around him. Naruto favored his earlier works, with their contrasting splashes of color and muted, shadowy shapes. But Sakura was partial to his more recent work, the endless charcoal sketches and studies of people, animals, birds... And of course, his freehand ink drawings were her favorite. He'd done a number of them using her as a model, mostly without her knowing she discovered. She paused on a sketch of Sasuke, running her fingertips along the strong, angry lines in his face, ghosting across the flowing creases in his shirt and waist cape. Abruptly, she closed the book.

"I'll keep them all. There's always the hall closet. I don't have _that_ many shoes."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He muttered. "It's hot in here. You gotta get that air conditioner fixed." He reminded her for what seemed like the twentieth time that day. "And I'm hungry. Wanna grab something?"

Sakura shook her head no as she placed the book she'd been holding back in its pile. "I'm going to stay here and finish organizing this stuff. I think there's rice and eggs in the fridge. And natto." She added as an afterthought. Naruto made a face at her and turned to leave.

"Suit yourself. I'm going to Ichiraku."

"Of course."

She heard him opened the door and called after him, "Hey Naruto!"

"Yeah?" He paused.

"Can you get me a fan or something? Like one of those window fans?"

"Sure." The door closed behind him with a click.

Sakura looked behind her into the bedroom closet where she had been working, there were only two more piles there and then she'd check all the weird places, like the water heater closet and under the sink in the bathroom. Places like that. _"I'm getting tired."_ She thought to herself. One of her other concerns was traps. Although they hadn't run into any yet, that didn't mean that none were set. Sakura turned away from the closet, knowing that if she didn't eat something, she'd just get light-headed, and snooping through a ninja's belongings while trying not to pass out didn't seem like a fun idea.

She opened the fridge and realized belatedly that the rice was more than a week old, and there wasn't anything else in the fridge but condiments and natto. _"Should have asked Naruto to grab something for me. I can't even think straight." _She closed the fridge with a frown and looked down at herself. She was filthy and sweaty, and her hair hung, stringy, around her face, clinging to her neck. Sakura fanned herself, annoyed. _"I'm not going out like this. I'm not Naruto. I'll have to go home and change, then get something to eat and come back." _ Sakura slipped on her tennis shoes and then perched on the window ledge. "Maybe I'll shower too." She muttered to herself. She looked down and noticed that the ledge was worn right where her feet and left hand rested. Although Sai had painted over the worn spots she could see the previous color under the most recently applied coat. She smirked to herself and suddenly couldn't see anymore, couldn't breathe for the knot in her throat. She gripped the window jamb tighter to keep from swaying.

"_Don't cry." _She commanded herself. "Stupid." She whispered to herself. Against her will, the image of Sai's sketch of Sasuke on the ledge came into her mind again. Sakura dug her fingers into the jamb even harder, and the wood started to splinter and creak under the force of her hand. Her face twisted into a grimace. _"I'm not strong enough. Even after everything I've done, I can't save Sasuke, much less kill him. I couldn't even save Sai."_ "What am I even doing here?" She hunched her shoulders defensively as she heard the door to the apartment open behind her, and was surprised when instead of Naruto's familiar chakra signature, she felt Kakashi's. She debated jumping out of the window onto the nearest rooftop below, but that would be rude. Yet she just wanted to be alone.

Kakashi dropped the takeout he was carrying on the kitchen counter and approached her from behind before she could decide. Sensing that something was wrong, he reached out toward her. His hand lingered above her shoulder for a moment, then he brought it back to his pocket.

"Sakura."

She tried to control her voice but she couldn't. "Kakashi-sensei." The words were nothing but a cracked murmur.

"Come on." Her response brought him courage and he placed his hand over hers, working his fingers in under hers and peeling her away from the window. She landed stiffly and pulled her hand away from his slowly, then looked him in the eye. Her stomach jumped and she didn't know why, there were other uncomfortable things to deal with before she tried to figure that out.

"_Do you want to talk? Is something wrong? What's going on?"_ Nothing Kakashi could think of to say seemed appropriate but it was alright.

"Kakashi, will you listen to me please? I - I need you right now." _"You'll understand me."_ The words went unspoken but they hung in her thoughts.

Kakashi nodded and they went to the couch, where Kakashi sat at one end and Sakura at the other, leg curled up under her and pillow held to her chest. She laughed and cried and rambled on about when she had first met Sai, about the war, about Naruto and Sai and about Sasuke and Sai. Kakashi listened and occasionally commented on her stories, embellishing or correcting her, smiling when it was happy and looking away as she cried. Finally she scooted closer to him.

"Kakashi, did you ever give up on Sasuke?"

Kakashi thought about it for a while. He looked almost ashamed when he finally responded. "A long time ago."

Sakura didn't look surprised, just crestfallen. "Me too."

They sat there quietly after that, side by side on the couch. Slowly, the room took on the oranges and purples of sunset, then began to darken to a deeper blue as night covered Konoha. Sakura leaned against the back of the couch and closed her eyes and Kakashi crossed his legs and looked around the space Sai had called home.

"Aren't you bored?" Sakura brought him out of his reverie.

"What? Oh, not at all." He smiled at her. _"It's nice being here with you."_

"Good." Sakura managed to smile back. She placed her hand over his and Kakashi felt a shiver run up his spine. His eye widened minutely but before he could speak or move, she suddenly pulled her hand back and Naruto burst into the room, as per his usual fashion.

"Hey Sakura-chan, sorry I'm so late, Tsunade dragged me into her office, believe it or not she was at Ichiraku _waiting for me..._" Naruto looked around the room, then spotted his teammates on the couch. "Why are you guys sitting in the dark?" He stared at Sakura for a moment, then shook his head and turned on the lights. Unaccustomed to the light, Sakura shielded her eyes and blinked.

"We were just talking about Sai." Kakashi explained.

"Oh." Naruto seemed satisfied with Kakashi's response. "I brought the fan." Mourning time notwithstanding, he sounded more serious than usual. Naruto stood still in the kitchen, looking slightly lost.

"What's going on, Naruto?"

Leave it to Sakura to ask the question burning in Kakashi's mind.

"Come here, sit with us."

"Ah." Naruto nodded and plopped down onto the couch on the opposite side of Sakura. "I'll tell you what's going on. There's going to be another mission to Rain. Tsunade is sending us, and Aoba and Genma, because we already know about the situation." Kakashi's jaw hardened but his expression didn't change. Sakura, however, showed a mixture of horror and indignation on her face.

"**What?**" She half-gasped half-yelled.

Naruto winced in anticipation of her railing, but it never came.

"I can't go into details here. It's bad enough that I've told you where the mission is." He spoke in a low voice. "We're getting briefed tomorrow. The mission is next week." Sakura shifted her body toward him and opened her mouth, but in an impressive show of calm control, Naruto held a hand up placidly to silence her. "Again, I can't go into detail. But I can tell you-" He took the time to look both of his friends in the eye, "It's something that concerns all of us."

Sakura's mouth snapped shut. She looked wild in that moment, her eyes flashing at Naruto. Kakashi's gut clenched with anticipation.

And everything in Naruto's demeanor screamed the answer to their stifled questions.

Sasuke.

* * *

Thanks for all of the reviews, they mean so much to me. I got so involved in this chapter... so sorry for the late thanks here but really Really REALLY thank you so much!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Jambi_

Tension weighed heavily on everyone in the room. It wasn't often at all, not even for ANBU operatives, to be called into the war room for meetings. Kakashi, Genma and Aoba sat to Tsunade's left and Naruto and Sakura were on her right. Shizune stood just behind Tsunade, keeping the sound barrier jutsu active. The last group of people that needed to hear about this was the council.

"As you all know, I'm sure, I'm sending you all back to Rain. The information Sai, Aoba and Genma collected was invaluable, and has led us to believe we may now know who the leader of Rain is."

Sakura swallowed and Kakashi tensed. _Naruto couldn't possibly have meant...?_

Tsunade didn't pause. "I don't trust our informant much. But their guidance did lead us in the correct direction, though not without sacrifice." She paused. "We'll try to avoid that this time around. I want you all working together. Don't split up unless absolutely necessary."

_That's going to be nearly impossible..._ Kakashi waited for her next command.

"Naruto will be taking charge of this mission. Kakashi you are strategic backup. Aoba and Genma, I want you gathering as much information as you can. And Sakura you are there only to heal. **Do not fight** unless it is deemed absolutely necessary."

Kakashi spoke up at this point. "Who is our informant? Do you know?" _Do they know we are coming and is this a trap?_

"I am still working on that. I'm not sure who it is but given they are in Rain and their information, though mostly good, has already lead to the death of one of ours... It's safe to say that they are either ruthless, or calculating enough to send us a subtle warning. About what yet, we don't know."

"And what does Sasuke have to do with all of this?" Sakura opened the topic for discussion. If no one else would, then **she** would.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the pinkette. "I never said this had anything to do with Sasuke."

"You didn't have to." Kakashi looked to Tsunade, then away, as if bored. "We are all here."

"And by **'we'** I assume you mean Team 7? Fine." Tsunade sighed and cast about for her sake bottle, which of course wasn't there. _Dammit._ "I didn't want to get your hopes up. Or down. We aren't clear what part he plays in this. Those scrolls were actually intended for him, and if not him, then some other Uchiha." Everyone at the table cursed inwardly at the implications of that statement. "The leader of some local rogue group in Rain wants to meet with Sasuke, I think. I can't even be sure they are referring to him in this letter, though as far as we know he is either the last or one of two remaining Uchiha." Tsunade ensured that she had the attention of all by making eye contact around the room. "The latter is the most likely case. They refer to requesting a meeting with the 'Younger of the two Devils' in this letter. They also refer to him as the 'Cursed Deuce' in the scrolls. And how do I know that these words refer to the last two Uchiha that any of us saw alive?" The leader of the village hidden in the leaves sighed. "I don't. I'm going off of what our informant tells us."

_The informant we don't know or trust. Got it._ Kakashi sighed in exasperation as well. He hated these kinds of missions. Vague, vital and possibly, probably bloody. _If the Leaf can determine who the leader of Rain is now rather than later than we can hope to gain the upper hand, along with the allied forces, when Rain turns against us. I always suspected that was the only safe haven Tobi and Sasuke had after the war. It was the only place where we couldn't really send our ninja indiscriminately. Nearly everyone we've sent (though the numbers are few) hasn't returned. Tsunade must have known something even before this last mission to have allowed Naruto and Sai to go._ Kakashi tried to look bored. _And goddamn, this is making me uncomfortable. We aren't even sure if Kabuto was really killed or what happened to him. Thank you Itachi for saving the entire shinobi existence, the world really, through your superior powers of manipulation. But Sasuke... To leave him alive... Even if he __**did**_ _seem 'changed'..._ Kakashi furrowed his brow as he looked around the room. "Everyone has their weakness." he muttered.

"Kakashi?"

He didn't mince words. "This has the potential to get very bad, very bloody, and all very fast. A few rogue messenger nin took out Sai? Really?" Kakashi was putting the heat on Tsunade. "I don't think so. And now you're sending two rookie ANBU and three old guys on this mission?" Kakashi shook his head. _I don't usually feel quite this negative, but I think we are all going to die._

"With Naruto there, you will all be safe, even if you do run into **him**. And with your combined experience, I'm hoping you'll be able to guide Naruto in a good direction." She sent expectant glances toward the left side of the table. "Lastly, with Sakura instantly able to respond to any medical situation, I know that you will all come back in one piece."

Sakura swallowed her protests, along with her indignation and her wavering excuses. Tsunade was right. Even though she had lost Sai, he was the first in a long time, and Sakura would fight with everything she had to make him the last for a long time. _We've got to stop Sasuke._

"We've got to bring Sasuke home." Naruto looked around the room steadily. Sakura looked away and toward the floor. _What are you, stupid? Shut up Naruto, just shut up._

Tsunade voiced everyone's thoughts. "This is not a retrieval mission. It is not your duty to protect Sasuke, or convince him of anything. It is your duty to protect the Leaf, and as captain of the mission these peoples' lives are in your hands." She spoke gently but very firmly.

Naruto didn't falter. "Sasuke is also an important person."

"An important target." Tsunade tried to drive the point home. "If you can't get this through your thick skull, that we've all given up on Sasuke returning to the Leaf of his own free will, and that he is out to **kill** you and anyone else who stands in the way of his 'Destroy Konoha' plan, then there is no way I am allowing you to command this mission. At all." Tsunade's voice rose. "Do you understand?"

Naruto looked around the table for support. Sakura so hated to abandon him like this, after all he'd done for her, but she couldn't look him in the eyes and she froze, analyzing the floor tiles relentlessly and nervously. Kakashi was slowly tearing a piece of paper he had found into a thousand pieces, Aoba was adjusting his glasses and Genma was openly resting his face in his palm.

"How can you guys give up on him? We are a team!" Naruto pleaded to Sakura and Kakashi.

Sakura stood slowly. "**Were**. We were a team. Eleven years ago. And for the record..." Sakura looked into Naruto's eyes, carefully trying to hide her emotion. "If that message was intended for Sasuke or Tobi, and that information transport ultimately led to Sai's death in my arms..." She paused. "Then effectively, didn't Sasuke kill Sai?" Her last words were low and heavy.

Naruto balked, eyes widening. But he said nothing.

"How many times do we have to tell you!" Suddenly Sakura was yelling at Naruto, and Kakashi stood, ready to break the two apart. "He's out for blood! He wants to destroy everything you love and stand for, he wants to destroy **you** and **me**, and he wants to mind rape the whole world along with the freak in the mask!" Sakura was shaking Naruto by the shoulders now, face reddened in her frustration. "He is **neither our friend nor** our teammate! That Sasuke is **dead! DEAD!**" Sakura slapped him across the face and the whole room was suddenly filled with a thick silence. Sakura's eyes widened slightly in surprise at her own actions, but she didn't apologize, she just turned from the blonde and sat down hurriedly.

_So you've given up on him too, Sakura-chan..._

Naruto had nothing to say, so he sat back down. After giving Sakura a few moments to gain her composure, Naruto turned toward Tsunade. "So if I see him, what am I supposed to do?"

Tsunade didn't hesitate, although she didn't like to say it. "Kill him."

Naruto seemed to debate on whether he would accept this or not. Finally he stood up out of his chair and turned his whole body to her, to show her his determination and to hide his silent tears from the room. His hands were balled into fists and his teeth were clenched.

"If that's what I have to do to protect this village, and the people I love... If one has to die for the sake of many... Then I accept your command, Tsunade-sama. I'll kill a few... to save many."

Tsunade looked at the table, wishing to heaven that her sake cup was there waiting for her.

"I'm glad you understand now." She mumbled. "I'll see you all in a week's time in my office. Eight AM." Everyone stood to leave. "Please don't be late, Hatake." Kakashi saluted her almost tiredly and they all left the room, dispersing in their temporary discomfort with one another's presences. They left Tsunade to wonder if Naruto had really 'gotten it' this time, or if his understanding would be fleeting like it had been so many times before; if upon seeing Sasuke everything would change and he'd try to make peace with the insane Uchiha again. Tsunade stood and rounded on Shizune with a vengeance.

"**Where's my sake?**"

* * *

Sakura moved the last pile of notebooks into the hallway closet and gave the small storage space another good look. After gathering together all of the art in the house it had become apparent that nothing else would be going into that closet. Not shoes, not umbrellas... nothing. It was full.

Sakura wiped her forehead and looked around the room to ensure she hadn't missed anything. _Good._ Sai's easel still stood behind the couch, but she wouldn't move it just yet. However, almost all of her other things **were** moved in. Her medical references shared the shelves with Sai's books on communications and culture, and through the bedroom door which stood ajar she could see the blacks of her jounin and ANBU uniforms along with the whites of her hospital clothes and the miscellaneous splashes of color that made up her little-used casual wear littering the bed. Satisfied, she turned to the fridge and took a moment to enjoy the cool air that suddenly caressed her sweaty face and neck. _It's so hot in here..._ she poured herself some iced tea and leaned against the counter as she rested. _I wonder if I know anyone that can fix the air conditioner... I really don't want to pay someone for something like that. I bet it's just a plug or something._ After she drained her tea, she decided to take a look at it herself. _It can't be that hard..._

Once she got up there though, between the musty, crumbly cooler pads and the maze of tiny water tubes and the seemingly non-functional water pump, Sakura felt that she was at a loss.

_Goddamnit... dammit all to hell..._ "Oh, hi!" She looked over her shoulder, annoyed that someone should see her beating on the cooler with a stick.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her. "What's with the stick?"

Sakura huffed and turned around, poking at the pump in the bottom of the dry swamp cooler again.

Kakashi looked over her shoulder. "I could fix it for you."

"Yeah?" Sakura sounded disbelieving. "And what's your price?"

"What, you don't think I'd do it out of the goodness of my heart?" Kakashi seemed hurt, but Sakura knew him better than that.

"I don't have eggplant. I hate the stuff."

Kakashi grinned under his mask. "I do."

Sakura laughed. "You're hopeless!"

"And you're going to break that thing if you keep poking at it."

Sakura shrugged and tried to hand him the stick, but Kakashi made no move to take it from her so she threw it back onto the roof where it had been to begin with. She waited, fanning herself, as Kakashi looked around inside the cooler.

"You need new pads and a new pump." He announced. "I'll get this old stuff out and get the water turned on, and you can go get the parts."

"You got it. There's tea inside."

Kakashi waved at her over his shoulder as she leapt down from the roof, and Sakura felt like her body was literally slicing through the thick heat as she walked the thankfully short distance to the hardware store. She sighed with relief as she entered the small, cluttered store; it was as though the tinkling of the bell at the door warded off the penetrating heat that lurked outside. She smiled brightly at the clerk and dropped the crusty pump onto the counter between them.

"I need one of these. And some cooler pads."

The clerk nodded and brushed some of the mineral deposits off of the pump. He nodded again and left into the back of the store, then returned momentarily with the part she needed.

"Size?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I don't know."

The clerk pointed behind her to a bulky package emblazoned with the words _Do It Yourself!_. She grabbed it and paid, then trekked back out into the heat. Immediately she felt a slippery, gritty sensation where the plastic bag she was holding rested against her body. She didn't bother trying to shift its position – she knew it would do her no good – and she made her way back to her house. As soon as she turned onto her street she saw him, still up on her roof. A trickle of water ran off the roof under the cooler, but that hardly caught her attention. What did strike her was Kakashi's lack of a shirt. The times she'd seen him shirtless were few and far between, and the event usually coincided with an injury. She almost stopped in her tracks as he ran his fingers through his shock of silver hair, then bent back over into the cooler. Sakura shook her head and looked away, into the sky... then back down to Kakashi. Sakura couldn't help but smile as her eyes traced the toned lines of his back and side muscles. He wasn't **ripped** per se, but he was... built. If only she could see his face...

She sincerely hoped it was as good-looking as the rest of him. She smirked as she leapt onto the roof, eyes trained on his backside.

_**Kami, you're a perv, Sakura! What is with you staring lately?**_ Inner Sakura chastised. Sakura blinked. _Hormones? I don't know... _She cast about for an explanation. _**And with this big mission coming up? You can't afford distractions like this.**_ Sakura slapped herself mentally. _Shut up, Inner! You think I don't know that? Besides, it's Kakashi. __**Kakashi.**__ He's like... my superior and stuff._

_**That was weak.**_ Inner Sakura faded into the back of Sakura's mind as she realized Kakashi was standing with his hand outstretched, waiting for her to hand him the parts she'd been out purchasing.

"Sorry." She muttered, looking away from his sweat-soaked chest and fumbling with the large, awkward package.

He took the items from her and within another ten minutes the pump whirred to life, filling the cooler with water, and the fan started to spin. Kakashi tightened the lid and turned around with a smile, looking Sakura over quickly. "Ta-da." His 'fanfare' was anything but enthusiastic.

Sakura smiled weakly. "Ah, right. Dinner."

Kakashi scooped up his shirt and pulled it on. Afterward he shook his head and brushed off his hair. _Dinner. Sakura. Alone._ It didn't take him long at all to make his decision. "Rain check?"

"Excuse me?" Sakura double-took.

"Rain check. How about we..." Kakashi checked himself. "Make me dinner over the weekend. I've got to run."

"Uh, okay." Sakura stared after him as he waved at her, then abruptly but easily leapt to the next roof and away from her. _Did Kakashi just do me a favor?_

Meanwhile, Kakashi was trying not to beat himself about the head. _What in the hell was I thinking? Dinner? Sakura? I hope she doesn't see what I was getting at. Kami knows __**I**__ didn't figure it out until it was almost too late!_ Kakashi bit his lip in frustration and leapt in the window of his apartment, where he proceeded to grab a cushion off of the couch and hurl it into his front door. _That's what I need, that's exactly what I need. A girlfriend in the form of my former student. That's not creepy. Not to mention that the last time I had a girlfriend that ended just __**splendidly**__._ Kakashi was pacing now, from the living room into the kitchen and back into the living room. _Girlfriend. Wow, that was fast, considering that you haven't really sat down and talked with her for years. With the exception of last week._ He thought back to that night on the couch at Sai's place. She had confided in him, she trusted him. She had put her hand on his. _It was just a friendly gesture._ Surely he was reading too much into it. Kakashi sat down on his couch and lowered his head into his hands. _She needed comforting. She needed someone to lean on. That was all. Don't make this about you, Hatake. Because it's not._

For the first time in years, Kakashi felt like he needed a drink.

So he went out in search of one.

* * *

Sasuke walked briskly through the lower city, easily avoiding the puddles and gutters that littered the underbelly of the Village Hidden in the Rain. It seemed as though even the rats knew better than to cross him, no one barred his path except for the occasional sleeping hobo, whom he stepped over carelessly, his heavy cloak billowing slightly behind him. After weaving his way through the maze of the under city, he ducked into a small archway and entered a small, dimly lit tavern. He took his seat next to the only other patron; even the barkeep was nowhere to be seen. Not that it surprised Sasuke, given his company.

"They'll be coming to Rain within the week. What should I do with them?"

Sasuke's facial expression didn't change, but he felt a happy malice burning in his heart. His bloodthirst demanded that he send his greetings to Fire Country himself, but he knew he could entrust his minion with the task. He **did** control him completely, after all. The Edo Tensei was convenient like that.

"Kill them of course. We'll leave one alive to deliver the message."

The hooded figure nodded in submission. "Very well." The man's familiar baritone was somehow reassuring to Sasuke. The mysterious man slipped a pale, cracked hand into his cloak and handed a small vial to Sasuke. "This will be the last one? I can make more if need be, master. You only need say the words." Sasuke could hear the twisted smile in that smooth voice.

"That won't be necessary. All is going as planned." He stood, then turned slightly to face his servant. "And the saline vials?"

"Of course." With another clink of glass on glass, the cloaked man extended his cold, white hand to Sasuke, two bigger phials in his grasp. Sasuke tucked them away safely in the recesses of his waist cape and turned to leave. He paused in the entryway of the establishment. "You prove ever useful to me." A short silence followed. "Don't make me regret my decision to use that technique on you." The words served as a warning.

Kabuto smiled darkly under his burgundy hood as he listened to Sasuke's retreating footsteps. _Of course not._

* * *

As the dawn's sunlight filtered through the treetops, the masked team leapt silently from tree to tree toward Rain Country.

Naruto had called everyone into Tsunade's office a full three hours early, anxious to begin the mission. Kakashi and Sakura were glad for it – neither one had been able to get any sleep the night before. The same couldn't be said for the rest of the team. At least now they were only an hour's hike from the border, soon they'd be breaking for another short strategic briefing, once Kakashi had made contact with the border patrol. Sakura looked ahead to the mission's commanders. She'd had half a mind to confront Kakashi about this weekend; he'd avoided her for the entirety of it. But the mission took priority, and she wasn't about to complain about **not** having to cook for once.

Kakashi looked over his shoulder at the rest of the team briefly, and suddenly the border patrol broke through the trees ahead of them. Everyone leapt down to the ground and gathered around Kakashi and Neji for the report.

"The border is quiet today." The long-haired Hyuuga's voice was unmistakable.

"Any quieter than usual?" There it was, the usual serious urgency that marked Kakashi's tone on these missions. Neji bristled visibly. "Yes." His response was clipped, to the point.

_Dammit. Tsunade's contact better be good. This feels like a trap._ "This feels like a trap." He looked to Naruto.

"Then it probably is. I trust your instincts, Kakashi." Naruto sounded more solemn than usual.

"I'm not looking for compliments. I'm looking for direction."

Naruto stiffened at Kakashi's direct manner of speaking, but he was ready. "Did we expect any less? At least we have the advantage of time."

Neji nodded in agreement. "You'll be able to assess the situation if you cross just south of here." He pulled a small map from the pouch at his hip and pointed out a route to Kakashi. "Our scouts have extended well into these wooded areas. The north is mostly plains." He addressed the group now. "Of course, the Hidden Rain is in those northern plains. But from the coordinates Tsunade provided us with, it seems you'll be making contact here." Neji pointed to an area near the edge of the large forest that blanketed the southern part of Rain. "I'd like to reiterate that usually there are heavy patrols all across the border at all times, and the patrols have only gotten heavier in the last three months. It's unusually quiet out there." Neji folded up the map and shoved it into his pouch. Naruto's silence was a testament to his discomfort. Sakura felt a bead of sweat trickle down her neck and into her sleeveless black shirt. Kakashi was visibly frustrated with Naruto's inaction. Neji waited another moment before he continued.

"I'd like to offer to come with you."

Naruto's mask turned toward the patrol captain but he didn't speak.

And so, naturally, Kakashi took command. The atmosphere surrounding the group lightened immediately. Not to say that they were relaxed, but the group's dynamic was definitely easier under his experienced leadership than Naruto's, regardless of the blonde ninja's promise.

Matters that dealt with Sasuke were just too delicate and too dangerous for Naruto to handle.

"We'd be glad to have you, Neji." Kakashi shook the Hyuuga's hand briskly and briefly. "You know the area and you'll be able to help us out with your Byakugan." Sakura almost sighed with relief. It was always hard to tell out here, in ANBU, with Kakashi. Was he perturbed, was he uber-focused, or was he just being an asshole? Apparently he wasn't pissed with Naruto – yet. Just frustrated. Kakashi's vocalization of his thoughts about Neji's joining the group showed that he was still trying to teach Naruto through his example though.

"I have a question." Sakura spoke up. Everyone in the group turned to look at her. She stood her ground. "There are six of us now, to one contact. Is it fair?"

"If it was fair, Tsunade wouldn't be sending ANBU, Sakura." Genma responded gently. "And do you think our contact will be coming alone?" Genma brought the facts to her attention. "All of those ANBU that Rain usually has on the border are probably going to ambush us in the forest."

Sakura nodded, accepting his reasoning. "So if anything, we are outnumbered."

"In enemy territory." Genma finished for her. "We're counting on you to keep us alive." She could hear the smile in his voice as he tried to reassure her, but she also felt the tension building in her chest. Sakura nodded, but didn't smile back. The group had already turned their attention back to Kakashi.

"Alright then. From here, we're heading four clicks south, with Neji's team. After that we'll split off from the group and fly through the border here, in formation D. If we engage enemy forces, we can switch to formation A easily. Genma, Aoba, keep our medic alive. I want you flying southwest no more than twenty meters behind us. Naruto, you take the northern wing, and Neji and I will be flying together. Radio check."

Everyone's hands went to their transceivers, and each person nodded, confirming the functionality of their equipment. Sakura checked through her vest one last time, verifying her inventory. _Chakra levels, good._ With one last look around the group, Kakashi gave the signal and everyone leapt back into the treetops with Neji and Kakashi at the head of the group and the rest of Neji's team bringing up the rear. A few minutes later, on Neji's signal, Kakashi's group veered off of the patrol's course and into enemy territory. Almost as soon as they crossed the border the heat in the air changed, and Sakura's uniform was drenched with sweat along the sides. The humidity was stifling but she fought the urge to wipe her face under her mask.

They were in the shit now.

* * *

Kakashi glanced around and forward through the trees, inhaling deeply. The forest was fairly still, save for the wildlife thriving in the underbrush and in the trees. It was not still enough to alert the Konoha team to the presence of enemy ninja. Kakashi scanned the treetops for chakra remnants with his sharingan, there were few to be found, and none were very fresh. A few hours old at the most.

They were alone.

He looked sideways at Neji who gave no indication as to whether there was any danger ahead. Kakashi was reassured by this, the boy had his Byakugan turned on since they'd crossed the border. _We took our sweet time with that meeting._

As soon as the team crossed into a drizzle, Kakashi's whisper crackled over the radio, and it sounded loud to the team compared to the relative quiet they'd been traveling in.

"500 meters to contact. We are an hour and forty-five minutes early."

Suddenly, Neji threw up a hand signal and everyone stopped on their respective branches.

Neji turned to Kakashi, a deep frown on his face under his mask as his hands flew through the coded signs. _One person ahead, no masked chakras. Tag in._

Kakashi's jaw hardened at the last sign. Everyone else in the group tensed as well. It was a sign that had been thrown around in the war almost colloquially, but with all the zombies running around the battlefield they'd needed some sort of silent way to communicate the facts.

Kakashi repeated the sign back to Neji for confirmation. _Tag in?_

_Tag in. _Neji was explicit in his signing.

_Goddamnit all to hell._ Kakashi cursed to himself. He could feel the team's inquisitive glares burning into him. _We can't convene or converse here. Radio it is._

"Bravo captain has confirmed an Edo Tensei target at one o'clock, three hundred and fifty meters ahead."

_Just within range of the Byakugan._ Sakura gasped to herself.

"Identity unconfirmed." Neji was flashing hand signs at an incredible speed now, and Kakashi was deciphering them as quickly as they came. "A hooded figure about 1.75 meters tall with a tail – no, an attached -" Kakashi paused ever so slightly "snake." As soon as the words left his mouth, Naruto's hand flew out and he started signing letters-

_O – R – O -_

Kakashi held up a hand to stop the blonde's hurried hand signals. "Not likely."

Neji nodded, taking charge and he threw a hand up, showing the sign for probably first, then signing out the only letters that could make the situation worse.

_Y – A – K – U – S – H – I _

Naruto visibly stifled a yell and his whole body stiffened.

Genma whispered to Sakura under his breath.

"Really? More zombies?" She could hear his smirk. "We're still outnumbered."

Sakura shook her head slightly in disagreement. _We've got Naruto._

* * *

AN: Idk wtf happened to OpenOffice, but it's pissed at me and spell check isn't working so I had to use a stupid third party site, which I don't trust. My spelling is typically decent, but I just thought I'd point that out, because it's infuriating and frustrating and it's my pet peeve. Aside from that, I'm giving you the heads up that I may or may not post a chapter next week, due to the upcoming convention in Phoenix which I will be attending dressed as Momoka from Sgt. Frog on Saturday, and as Itachi on Sunday. If you're going, look for me. I'll be glad to meet you :D

Lastly, thank you all for the reviews, I really appreciate your commentary and I appreciate you guys as fans :) Thanks for taking the time to favorite the story and also for taking the time to review and share your thoughts with me. It's super motivating, and I sincerely scream and dance every time my phone vibrates to tell me I have another review/favorite/alert xD

Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_Edo Tensei Returns_

The war had left Tobi scarred and weakened in many ways.

Naruto had, of course, allowed him to live in a characteristic show of mercy and kindness, fully believing that the main antagonistic force behind the war had experienced a change of heart after their fight. He wasn't necessarily wrong. At the same time, he hadn't left Tobi in any capacity to make a lasting change on the shinobi world. Physically, the man had been injured by more than one rasen-shuriken as well as a direct hit from a bijuu bomb which he had somehow managed to survive. But that had been his finishing blow, his bones shattered and his will crushed, Naruto had given him a reason to live yet Tobi served next to no purpose. He might have died there in that field where he had been left, staring into the sky, had it not been for Sasuke chancing upon him on his way to confront Naruto.

Tobi was a smart man, even if he had been crushed. And he knew that Sasuke was not only shrewd but cruel. So when Sasuke had thrown Tobi over his shoulder with a small smile and turned from his path, Tobi knew that it had not been mercy that had stopped Sasuke, but his insatiable lust for power. From the day that they had arrived in Rain, Tobi had seen through Sasuke's plans. Sasuke had immediately deferred to him, insisting that he lead the Rain Country from behind the scenes again. The downtrodden country accepted his absolute leadership gladly and so Sasuke's plans took root. Tobi knew that the most he could do was bring some semblance of temporary peace to the Village Hidden in the Rain, even if it did come in the form of totalitarian dictatorship. At least it was what the people of Rain were used to.

All the same, with each passing day Tobi felt his old wounds weakening him, and with age came nostalgia, and with nostalgia came another kind of weakness, a weakness of the mind. Tobi was resigned to his fate in a way. Yet he still feared the inevitable day that Sasuke would stand above him as he did now, sword in hand.

"You're weak." Sasuke grinned.

"And you? Insanity is a form of weakness." He ground out in his gravelly timbre. It was something that Naruto had taught him back on that bloody field.

"Hn. You know nothing. I do what I have to do to survive."

_And this? _Tobi's eyes asked Sasuke the silent question.

Sasuke's sick smile widened as he grabbed Tobi's hair and shoved him against the concrete floor again, hard. Tobi saw stars, but he didn't stop. "You don't know what you're doing. Someone like you-" His words were cut short by the hilt of Sasuke's sword pressing up into his trachea.

"I'm the one who deserves the power you possess. And I'll prove it to you by taking it, here and now. I'm the heir to the legacy of the Uchiha." Sasuke's eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, red flames dancing in the wake of his mangekyou sharingan.

"You – can't – ha – handle... this po – wer..." Tobi gurgled, knuckles whitening around Sasuke's wrists in his effort to free himself.

"You think so highly of yourself, you fool. And that's why you're going to die. You think you've been weakened by your age and your old wounds?" Sasuke smirked and his face swam as Tobi's eyes teared up in his struggle for breath. Sasuke leaned in close just as the blackness started to close in around Tobi's vision. "I've been poisoning you for some time now. With a poison concocted by my faithful minion -" Tobi's eyes widened as realization crashed over him. How had he failed to notice? Sasuke smiled demurely into Tobi's face. "That's right. I have pawns of my own now." Tobi fought to maintain consciousness, to hold on just a little longer. "You've... sullied – your - hands..." _That technique..._

Sasuke just laughed into his ear and shoved the sword's grip into the old man's neck harder.

"You always knew it, didn't you? That Kabuto would bring about your downfall. And now the power of the sages is mine."

It was the last thing Tobi heard before total darkness enveloped him, then there was nothing.

* * *

Kakashi deliberated for a moment. The situation the team found itself in was a dangerous one. Although they were five against one, the odds were probably in Kabuto's favor, considering that he couldn't be killed outright. However, with his and Naruto's sealing jutsu combined they might stand a good chance. Naruto could fight Kabuto head on in sage mode. Actually, the team would probably just pose as a nuisance to Naruto in this fight. Kakashi motioned for Naruto to come to him.

"If Kabuto is the one we are fighting, then you are the only one who can take him."

"Ah." Naruto nodded.

"I can possibly help you seal him."

"I can handle it."

_I don't doubt it. _"We'll be here if you need us. We are going to hang back in range of the Byakugan. Neji and I will sit in the middle, at around a hundered meters, and Sakura, Genma and Aoba will hang back another fifty meters."

Naruto nodded again in acknowledgement, then stilled himself on the branch, readying his sage mode.

"Guys, I have bad news." He murmured after a few moments.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the blonde under his mask.

"Kabuto has sage mode too." He put it plainly.

_Oh... shit... This is way out of our league._

"I'm going to need chakra mode for this." Naruto didn't hesitate as he changed gears and his whole body lit up with a bright yellow flash and he removed his mask. "Also, since he's in sage mode, he definitely knows we are all here."

"He's looking straight at us." Neji confirmed.

"I'm going in." Naruto looked at Kakashi who didn't move to stop him.

Naruto leapt down from the treetops and the rest of the group followed suit, running the last 350 meters to the place where Kabuto was waiting for their group. Naruto stepped into the clearing ahead of the group and greeted the Dragon Sage.

"Yakushi Kabuto. What are you doing here?" Naruto frowned at Kabuto, who smiled smoothly at him in return, adjusting his glasses.

"Well, hello, Naruto-kun." A flash of light reflected across his lenses as he turned to face the group. "And I see you've brought your friends, Tsunade's little apprentice and the White Fang's son..." He grinned. "This should be fun. Oh, pardon my manners, I almost forgot." Kabuto licked his lips. "I'm your informant."

Naruto's jaw hardened and his frown deepend.

"Come now, don't look so surprised. I was Root after all. Please, do give me some credit." Kabuto tossed his hood off and turned sideways, crouching slightly into a loose fighting stance. "Shall we?"

"Naruto." Kakashi murmured, and the blonde paused, though it was apparent that he wanted to get into the fight. "We came for information." Kakashi tried to sound amicable, and succeeded. "Aren't you going to give us what we bargained for?"

Kabuto's stance didn't change, but he smirked at Kakashi. "Of course. I'll give you the message, though only one of you will be left to deliver it." He scanned the group, eyes resting on Sakura. "Here it is." His yellow eyes seemed to smoulder as she met them through her mask, fighting not to gulp. Her grip tightened around the senbon she held in between her gloved fingers. "The new leader of the Rain Country is none other than your precious Sasuke-kun, my master. And the Leaf had better prepare itself, because he is going to crush Konoha, without a doubt." His eyes narrowed. "But even if you do prepare, you won't stand a chance, just like before." He chuckled as his hands lit up with the bright blue energy characteristic of his chakra scalpel technique. "Everyone bows to the Sage of the Six Paths."

It was too much for Naruto. "Bastard!" He ran in, yelling, with a glowing rasengan in each hand. He smashed the balls into the place where Kabuto had been standing just a moment before and as soon as he realized the speed of the enemy he faced he called to the group. "Get farther away! Get out of here!"

The group looked to Kakashi for direction and he signaled for the group to put some distance in between themselves and Kabuto. Everyone turned to run another fifty meters away, but at that moment, the rocks around them seemed to come to life and launch themselves at the group. Sakura heard Kabuto's laughter as she dodged a rock, only to see one hit Genma in the back of the head as he evaded one that came at his front. She heard the sickening crack of his skull and saw him hit the ground, and more rocks made him their target. Sakura sidestepped the next rock aimed at her and moved to pick Genma up, but was forced to roll away from him as a bigger stone came hurtling toward the two. Suddenly, Neji appeared, palms in the air, and with a practiced hand he whirled and danced, deflecting the projectiles. Sakura took the opportunity as it was given to her and ran to Genma's side, checking his neck quickly for injuries, then using her chakra-enhanced strength to pick him up and carry him away from the battleground. Neji guarded her back the entire time, and she was thankful for that.

"Hang on, Genma." She breathed to him. His head was bleeding freely from the gash the rock had made in his scalp, and he'd been knocked unconscious from the blow, but overall he seemed to be alright. As soon as they'd reached a relatively safe distance, Sakura put Genma down and Neji covered her. Sakura's hands glowed bright green as she sealed up the wound in Genma's head, then sent waves of healing chakra around his brain to lessen the swelling caused by his concussion. "He's going to be fine." She imparted to Neji who only nodded, never looking away from the field. A few moments later, Genma's eyes opened groggily.

"That was one hell of a hit. Didn't even see it coming."

"He's fast." Sakura agreed. "You're okay now though."

Genma nodded, reaching up to touch the place where he'd been hit. "Not a scratch. You _are_ good."

Sakura nodded curtly. "How many fingers?"

"Four."

"What's your last name?"

"Shiranui."

"Who is the captain of the mission?"

"It was Naruto, but it seems that Kakashi's taken over."

"Good." Sakura helped him up. "You feel alright? Nausea? Headache? Dizzyness?"

Genma shook his head.

"In that case, you're in the clear. If I catch you having trouble, I'm pulling you."

"Alright."

Kakashi and Aoba landed near them after making thier own escape. It seemed that Kabuto's doton techniques had a fairly short range. "Genma, you good? Sakura, good work." Kakashi spoke quickly but she could tell he meant it, and his compliment caught her off guard. He changed tack so quickly though, that she didn't have a chance to respond, much less process the comment. _Take what you can get._ Inner Sakura commented quietly somewhere within her. "Naruto is the only one who can fight Kabuto like this. We are just dead weight, and we are getting in the way." Kakashi looked around the group. "The best thing we can do is take up a defensive perimiter in order to ensure there is no outside interference. We can also check for traps around the main battle area." Everyone nodded. "You two, stay with Sakura." He motioned towards Genma and Aoba. "Neji and I will take the other corners of the triangle. Move out." Everyone flew from the meeting place and into position.

Meanwhile Naruto and Kabuto were engaged in a fierce taijutsu battle. For every killing blow that Naruto dealt, Kabuto either regenerated or retaliated with jutsu.

"Don't forget, you can't kill me, Naruto-kun." Kabuto mocked.

Naruto responded by landing a blow into Kabuto's gut. He flew backward into a tree which broke under the tremendous force behind Naruto's punch. While Kabuto was disabled, Naruto readied a small bijuu bomb which he launched straight at Sasuke's pawn. Kabuto took the direct hit with a smile; like so many shreds of paper his being flew apart, then regenerated. Kabuto laughed. "What will you do now?"

Naruto began to form hand seals rapidly, and the dirt around them began to lift from the ground into a massive cloud.

Kabuto smirked to himself. _If I can't see him, then that means that he can't see me. And with my snake senses I don't need my eyes to kill. _Kabuto closed his eyes, shielding them from the dust storm and branching out with his senses. But his sense of smell was dulled as well, the wind seemed to be coming at him from all directions, and his last resort was to reach out with his chakra.

Naruto had switched into sage mode as well. Chakra mode was excellent for powerful physical attacks, but they needed to seal Kabuto, not destroy him over and over. Hopefully Kakashi would catch on to his plan and assist.

The sages circled each other there in the dirt, eyes closed, feeling each other out with their chakra. Kabuto noted that Naruto had created several shadow clones, he was readying another attack. Through the flying dust the three clones came, all with a cry of 'Odama Rasengan!', they aimed the attack straight for him. Kabuto leapt back with ease and the dust blew harder as the giant ball of swirling chakra hit the ground in the place where Kabuto had been moments before. Using his snake to stabilize himself he twisted mid-air, the real Naruto was waiting behind him with a rasen-shuriken, poised to strike. Naruto threw the rasen-shuriken at Kabuto and it missed him narrowly, but Naruto's fourth clone caught it and threw it back at the Dragon Sage. It clipped the ex-sound nin, cutting off some of his hair and his horns. Kabuto frowned as he flipped backwards and away from the wasted attack, straight into the jaws of Kakashi's summons.

"Did you truly think you'd capture me like this?" Kabuto cackled, throwing his head back and simultaneously putting Kimimaro's bloodline limit to use. As his bones flew out from his body like knives the dogs de-summoned but Kakashi's trusty pups had bought the pair the time they needed to ready the seals. Kakashi was already forming the seals, rapid-fire, as Naruto unrolled the scroll on the opposite side of Kabuto. They had him surrounded. Before Kabuto had a chance to take another step, Kakashi pressed a hand to the ground and a minor seal wove its signs around Kabuto's legs. Kabuto looked down with mild distaste.

"Fuuin! Raiton Ori!"

Kabuto's frown transformed into a grimace of pain as a cage of lightning appeared around him, locking his body into place. He was trapped. Suddenly his eyes went glassy and he slumped forward, dangerously close to the bars of the lightning-style cage. Naruto froze his hands mid-seal, waiting for Kabuto.

"Just seal him!" Kakashi commanded.

"Wait." Naruto spoke softly, staring at Kabuto.

Kabuto's head snapped up, meeting Naruto's eyes.

"You've proven to be more trouble than I thought you'd be. Of course they would send **you**." Kabuto's facial expression was dull.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Hn."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"I'm speaking through my Edo Tensei. Yes, I am the leader of Rain now. And soon Konoha will fall to me. And you... I'll leave you all alive, for now."

"Sasuke." Naruto uttered his old friend's name with sadness and desperation.

"Go back to Konoha. Deliver your message. And I won't allow you to disable Kabuto, I still need him." Naruto and Kakashi jumped, startled at the coffin that suddenly rose from the ground behind Sasuke's Edo Tensei summon. "I won't allow him to kill you either, though. I'll reserve the pleasure of gutting you in front of your friends myself, Naruto." The rising coffin came to a stop behind Kabuto and he seemed to regain control of himself. Kabuto smiled darkly and waved goodbye as the lid closed over him.

"Naruto, finish the seals!" Kakashi urged. But it was too late. With a great puff of smoke, the coffin disappeared and all that remained was the empty lightning cage.

AN: Extremely short chapter. This story is giving me a hard time right now :( Thanks for your reviews, again they are motivating and I'm sorry again for the horribly short chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Still Alive / Duality_

As a rule, Kakashi always got up early in the morning. A bitter cup of black coffee and a protien shake and he was out the door and leaping across the rooftops, heading straight for the cenotaph. He stood there for some time, thirty minutes went by, then an hour. At last he clapped his hands and bowed slightly, then turned and walked liesurely to the training ground. Stretch, pullups, pushups, squats, situps – it was a well-worn routine of his. Once he'd finished he dunked his head in one of the two streams that crossed Konoha. He shook his head free of the majority of the cool water and then raked his fingers through the mess, combing it to the side. Kakashi squinted as he looked toward the sun.

_It's going to be another hot one._

Which reminded him suddenly, after his thought-clearing training, of Sakura. He took a moment and thought about her sleeping face again.

_Dinner._

He decided that she'd be getting him dinner that day. And Hatake Kakashi usually got what he wanted. Usually.

He pulled out his trusty _Icha Icha Violence_. Sure, it wasn't Jiraya's best work, but Kakashi liked to change things up sometimes.

In another subtle effort to change things up, he walked into jounin HQ, waving vaguely at Ebisu, and made straight for the stairs to the basement. With quiet footsteps he trod down the stairs slowly into the darkness, proceeding into the dimly-lit ANBU bulletin room. With a lazy, practiced gesture he shut and stowed his book again.

The board was more crowded with missions than usual, and there were several ANBU standing around the board, carefully reading through the requirements and summaries of the missions posted there. Yugao, Akio, and Shikamaru. Yugao glanced over her shoulder at Kakashi.

"Senpai."

Kakashi tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Anything good?"

"Hmph." Yugao snorted. "They're all dirty."

_Sasuke._

"Ma, ma. There must be something." He took a free spot at the left end of the board and scanned the missions. _Taka, taka, taka... _"Taka." The word slipped out under his breath but in the quiet room it was like he'd made the announcement over a loudspeaker.

"That's the worst one of the bunch." Yugao remarked blandly, her distaste evident.

Kakashi appraised the other missions on the board before responding. "Smells like war."

"On what front? I was thinking the same thing, but after the shinobi alliance-"

"There are still many small countries that bear a grudge against the Leaf."

"And what can they do?"

"They take out our teams, one by one." Kakashi's eye flashed, steely, at the younger woman.

"Then we'd better be on our guard now, ne?" The leather of her gloves squeaked as she made a tight fist and her hair fanned out behind her as she turned to leave. Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

"Uzuki-san."

She continued to look to the ground.

"These are missions to stop this war from happening. Don't jinx it. Take a mission and smile."

"Tch." She jerked her shoulder free and sprinted up the stairs.

"That woman's so troublesome." Shikamaru sucked his teeth and slid his mask up over his head. "After that last mission -" His eyes met Kakashi's "I'm not surprised it's come to this. Two weeks later and there's already unrest across all of the minor nations. He's fast."

Kakashi nodded almost imperceptibly and reached for the mission to Taka, unpinning it from the board and pocketing the tack. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes slightly at the jounin but shrugged; yes, it was against protocol to lay claims to missions like that but it wasn't unheard of. And he wasn't about to stop a fellow captain.

"Aren't you on border patrol next week?" Kakashi asked as Shikamaru fell into step beside him.

"Ah, but I was curious."

"Naruto?"

Shikamaru's content silence was his answer.

The pair stepped into the sunlight and Kakashi turned to his comrade. "Tea and shogi?"

Shikamaru smirked at him. "I guess." He threw his hands behind his head and the pair walked to the nearest teahouse. As soon as they'd taken their seats and placed their orders, the younger jounin started the conversation again. "Ibiki is recruiting again." Shikamaru drummed his fingers on his teacup.

_Hanabi. Kiba. Ino. Tatami. To name a few._

"We've lost several."

Shikamaru's annoyed look was answer enough as he made his first move.

"If this war starts, we are going to have to get outside help."

"There's the Hidden Sand."

"And that's about it." Shikamaru's next move landed with a snap. "None of the major countries will side against us but if what I've heard is true..."

Kakashi's piece clacked against the board. "What have you heard?"

Shikamaru sent him a look indicating that it was neither the time nor the place for the conversation.

"Hn, well, you seem well informed."

"Intelligence." Shikamaru smiled unhappily and moved again, grimacing this time.

"I get to resurrect a piece." Kakashi chose his words carefully, making the remark casual as he chose a piece. "I'll take the knight."

"Tch, that really is troublesome." His eyes darkened as he placed the piece on the board. _So it's true._

"What else have you got up your sleeve, Kakashi?"

"Ha, nothing at all." Kakashi smiled slightly to lighten the mood.

"Good." Shikamaru made his last move and stood to leave. Kakashi saluted him and looked at the board. Neither jounin was bad at the game, but Shikamaru had managed to keep most of his pieces and corner Kakashi's king with several, leaving his superior no escape and no protection.

_I can only hope..._

* * *

Sakura kept counting in her head as she ran her second lap around the village.

_One, two. One, two._

The running cleared her mind, she didn't think of anything when she was running. Not Sasuke, not Sai, not the hospital, nor her parents, nor missions... nothing. The way her feet drummed against the earth and her hair brushed against her sweaty shoulders was therapeutic. The only downside was that when it was over the thinking started again, and if it wasn't for the sweat she wouldn't think that she had been running at all. But she had to stop sometime.

Sakura glanced at her watch and slowed as she reached the bridge over the northern stream.

_That's it._

She pulled a water bottle from her medic's pouch and took a long pull, wiping her face of the excess afterwards. She was tempted to run home, but it wasn't healthy not to cool down. She stowed her now empty water bottle and leapt lightly over the rivulet, walking back into the village. She was walking through the marketplace, deep in thought, when a voice called out to her through her reverie.

"Sakura! Sakura-chan! FOREHEAD!"

"Eh?" Sakura turned to look, blinking. "Oh, Ino! Hi!" She mustered a smile. "How was your mission?"

"Get in here!" The blonde laughed and pulled her friend into the flower shop. Sakura didn't exactly resist, but she knew she wouldn't be good company. There wasn't time to put that into words, though.

"The mission was a disaster! While we were gone, something must have happened, because the last week was **ridiculous**! Nuke-nin everywhere, we barely made it back. Reminded me of that story you guys told us about running into Zabuza and Haku when you were genin." She laughed. "At least they increased everyone's pay."

Sakura fought to keep her frown from deepening. "That's not a good thing, Ino."

"We all made it out alive." The blonde took her seat behind the counter and Sakura sat in the tall stool on the customer side.

Sakura shook her head at her friend. "When are you guys going back out?"

Ino sighed, blowing her hair out of her face simultaneously. "Tsunade's keeping us in the village for awhile, I guess. It's going to be boring..." Ino complained.

"Hey, at least you'll be occupied with something safe."

"Speaking of **safe**... how was your last mission?" Ino smiled brightly at her childhood friend.

Sakura rolled her eyes at Ino in return. "You know I can't talk about that stuff with you."

Ino's eyes sparkled with hidden glee and she stuck the tip of her tongue out cutely at Sakura. "Oh, come on. You can tell me **something**." Her eyes seemed to dance at the prospect of new information.

"Not this time." Sakura put her hand down onto the counter and hopped off of the stool. "I'm gonna go home and take a shower. I just finished my morning run."

Ino placed her hand over Sakura's. "One little thing." She smiled broadly at the pinkette. Sakura turned from Ino, shielding her face with a thick curtain of pink hair.

"Rain." And she formed a seal with her left hand. A moment later Ino was sputtering at the empty room and picking cherry petals out of her long hair.

* * *

Sakura practiacally tore her clothes off of her body as she made her way toward her bathroom. She flipped the tap open impatiently and slid her panties off, keeping her eyes ahead and away from the mirror. She hated to be moody, but lately she felt like she couldn't help it. She hadn't been to ANBU HQ, but she'd heard murmurs among the jounin over the last week and there had been that team of genin in the hospital the day before... Things were getting ugly and she had a feeling she knew why. Sakura wet her hair rapidly and vigorously rubbed her shampoo into a thick lather, massaging – no, more like scratching her scalp with her nails. She took a moment and stepped back into the hot water, allowing it to rinse away the shampoo. She watched as the clumps of foam floated over her body and toward the drain like clouds, and she wished her problems would go with them. Sakura stepped out of the water and washed her body quickly.

_They aren't just my problems. They are the village's problems. They're Fire Country's problems. They're the Alliance's problems. Just because Sasuke is at the center of the issue doesn't make it my fault._ "I don't even know him." She breathed through gritted teeth. _"You can only do so much. You can keep your important people alive, and you can fight for what you know is right. You're on the right side."_ Inner Sakura tried to comfort her, and it worked. Sakura's shoulders slumped as the hot water ran over them again. _I wish there was something more that I could do._ _"You're in the right place. You're with Naruto, with the Leaf. What more could anyone ask for? Every day, you are saving lives where people should be dying. You're working miracles."_ After Sai's death, Sakura hardly felt like it. But it was the truth. She was no longer the useless kunoichi of her genin days, the clumsy girl who barely seemed to manage to draw a kunai before being overwhelmed by the enemy. _"You saved Genma."_ It was true. He would have been in much worse shape had she not been there to tend to his wound immediately. Sakura smiled slightly to herself. _I've got to get out of this funk. I've been in a mood ever since Sai died. It's been over a month now. Time to pull myself together._

Sakura turned the tap off and stepped out of the tub, wrapping herself in one of numerous fluffy, pink towels she owned. She stepped out of the bathroom.

"Dammit, can you boys **knock**?" She pulled her towel in tighter around her chest, rolling her eyes in simultaneous annoyance and relief at having removed her panties in the bathroom.

"Yo."

"Five minutes." Sakura stomped into her room, closing the door none too gently.

"Uh-huh." Kakashi didn't move, but continued to read his copy of _Icha Icha Violence_.

Three minutes later, Sakura emerged from her room, still brushing her hair. "And what are you doing in my living room again? Making yourself comfortable, I see." All of the anger of the moments before were gone, though traces of annoyance filtered through her tone.

"Nothing much." Kakashi cooly flipped the page in his book as Sakura tried to be casual about picking up her clothes, wrapping her bra in her shirt and hastily throwing the bundle of sweaty clothing into the bathroom.

"**Really**, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hm." Kakashi suddenly snapped his book shut and looked at her over his shoulder. Suddenly it **really** bothered him that she still called him sensei. "Aren't we both a little old for that?" He asked in a low voice. Sakura stopped clearing her mail off of the dining table and stared at him. Kakashi stared back with one droopy eye, but a bead of sweat soaked through his mask and the spot on the side of his head was cool.

Sakura opened her mouth and narrowed her eyes at him in confusion, then shook her head and resumed her task. _What the hell._

Kakashi cringed inwardly. _Awkward..._

He changed tack quickly, in an attempt to clear the strange air that seemed to linger between them. "I came to see about my dinner." He walked over to her and rested his arms on the back of one of her chairs.

"Oh, that." Sakura sighed and deposited the pile of mail she'd collected onto the kitchen counter. "I don't know if I'm up to cooking for you right now, to be honest."

"That's okay." Kakashi replied quickly, stomach lurching nervously. "We can go out somewhere." He waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the village center.

Sakura sighed with relief. "That sounds great."

_Good._ "You ready?"

Sakura looked over her outfit quickly, then ran a hand through her damp hair. _It'll dry on the way._ "Ready as ever." _Not like we're going anywhere fancy if we're getting bonito and eggplant._

Kakashi smiled as he turned to the entryway to put on his shoes; his heart suddenly felt lighter. Sakura followed suit and soon she was walking beside Kakashi through a part of the village that she didn't normally frequent.

"Where are we going?"

"One of my favorite places."

Sakura noticed that he wasn't reading, but then he didn't **have** to read, now did he?

Kakashi stopped abruptly. "We're here."

Sakura was surprised at first. She wouldn't have noticed the place if Kakashi hadn't pointed it out to her, it was recessed into an alley. There were a few other businesses like that in Konoha, but they mostly sold rare or expensive shinobi tools or alcohol or lewd literature. On second thought, the place suited the Copy Nin perfectly. It wasn't a colorful place, it looked almost shabby actually. But when Kakashi opened the door Sakura was pleasantly surprised. Inside, the restaurant was nice, clean, well-decorated. Instead of tables there were low couches and chairs amidst glass-topped tables, drapes hung around the tables around the edges of the room, but they didn't obscure the tables from view, just added a slight sense of privacy. The lighting wasn't too dim or intimate, but it wasn't flourescent or institutional either. There were few patrons in the establishment enjoying their late lunches. All in all, Sakura approved. Kakashi was glad to see that she liked the place, although he said nothing.

Presently the host appeared and ushered them to their table, a booth on the other side of the room. "I like to be able to see the door." Kakashi said as they sat down. Sakura laughed a little at his paranoid nature and Kakashi smiled back at her, but she knew he was being completely serious. Come to think of it, he always had seemed a little more on edge than usual when they ate at the traditional bathouses, with their tatami floors and paper doors on all sides. Sakura smirked.

"What?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her.

"Just thinking about old times." Sakura's smile widened and she picked up a rangoon. "Hey, these are pretty good."

"I told you, favorite place."

She closed her eyes and sipped her iced tea and Kakashi took advantage of the opportunity and stuffed a rangoon in his mouth.

"I kinda can't believe I've never been here. It's pretty nice."

Kakashi shrugged. "It's out of the way for you."

Sakura nodded. "You live just up the street, don't you?"

"Mm."

At that moment the waiter came to take Sakura's order. He just smiled at Kakashi and let them know he'd be back with their food shortly, then left them to their conversation.

"Haha, you do come here often, Kakashi-" Sakura stopped herself and tried to keep from blushing. "Haha." She laughed nervously. _This is so weird._

Kakashi twirled his chopsticks in between his fingers with a practiced hand. _I've made her uncomfortable._ He thought to apologize, but the words never came out. _You'll just make things worse..._ As if they were bad to begin with...

Kakashi smiled. "Hey, you know what will cheer you up?"

Sakura started. How had he known she was in a bad mood to begin with?

"I've got a mission you might want to join me on, Sakura."

Sakura raised an eyebrow and leaned on the table, stirring her tea with her straw. "Another mission? The hospital's been pretty busy lately."

"So I've heard. But I think you'll like this one." Kakashi pulled the paper he'd filched from the bulletin that morning from one of his vest pockets and placed it on the table in front of his kunoichi teammate. Sakura sighed as she looked over it but she couldn't hide the excitement that flashed in her eyes. "You're not supposed to just **take** these, Kakashi..." She picked it up and read it again. "But you're right." She murmured. "It's a good one." Kakashi blinked at her and in a moment the slip of paper was stowed away safely in her bra and the waiter was serving the pair. "Enjoy." Sakura smiled brightly and nodded, thanking him, and Kakashi crinkled his eye at the young man as he walked away.

"It's dangerous." Sakura popped a piece of spicy orange chicken into her mouth.

"Aren't they all?" Kakashi retorted quietly.

Sakura nodded and smiled a little, taking another bite, then helping herself to some rice. The pair ate in relative silence while she thought about the mission. She felt like it was burning a hole in her bra but she wasn't about to fish it out, much less in front of Kakashi. Finally, Sakura set her chopsticks down and looked at Kakashi, leaning back into the couch.

"We are very qualified for this mission. It was practically made for us."

Kakashi said nothing but cracked his knuckles.

"And who knows, maybe we can serve up a side of revenge with our little 'diplomatic errand'." Sakura grinned.

Kakashi smiled back at her. "I'd like that very much."

"Haha." Sakura laughed. "It's probably a really, **really** bad idea, though. Considering the war and all..."

A cloud seemed to cover Kakashi's face for just a moment, but it was gone as soon as it came. But the thought didn't leave his head. _You too, Sakura?_

"There won't be a war, if we are careful. And this mission demands the utmost care."

Sakura nodded. "Right. But we've got this. This is right up our alley. She can -" Sakura shut her mouth abruptly but her eyes still smiled at Kakashi.

_Perfect._ Kakashi knew exactly what Sakura was thinking, and it was the same thing he'd been kicking around in his head all morning.

The mission was perfect, not only for her, but for him as well.

And the best part was that no one else would be tagging along nor interfering with their plans.

"I'll do it." Sakura smiled.

She called the waiter over.

"Check."

* * *

Sasuke clenched his teeth as he pushed his fingers into his eyes. It was the only thing that eased the pain, the rinnegan transplant hurt even more than Itachi's eyes had, but Sasuke knew it would be worth it. All of his wishes were about to come true, all of his complaints were about to disappear and he was on the brink of huge success, he could feel the hate burning happily in his heart. All the same, he felt that if the pain went on...

_They're bringing this on themselves..._ Sasuke smiled through his clenched teeth, spots dancing on the backs of his eyelids. _Vengeance for the Uchiha will be mine._

Kabuto frowned as he looked on, Sasuke's pain medication in hand. He remembered a time, long ago, when he had been in the same position. But then it had been Orochimaru who lay debilitated by the pain in his body.

Sasuke threw his head back and laughed, the wicked sound echoing throughout the room.

_This is all I've got, all I need, and if it's insane, I don't care._

"We are so close to crushing them I can feel their necks breaking in my hands!" he raised his fists toward the ceiling.

Sasuke continued to laugh quietly, allowing his hands to fall back into his lap.

Kabuto smirked at his new master. _Wouldn't you love for me to tell you what I'm seeing right now?_ "It's time for your medicine, Sasuke-sama."

Sasuke held out his hands expectantly, and he gulped the bitter contents of the cup he was given without flinching. He wiped his mouth, face serious now.

"They're not going to make it. Not one of them."

* * *

AN: Hi there! You all have motivated me to write this chapter, which I feel really good about. I was listening to Slipknot's _Duality_ at work and I was like "Yes, that's Sasuke all over!" So I had to paraphrase some of that and end the chapter on that note. Yes I know its a little bit cliffhanger-y but you just wait! :) Anyway, thanks again for the great reviews you guys are awesome and I'm glad the last chapter wasn't a flop! See you next week! (By the way I didn't use spell check so sorry if there's anything misspelled.)


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_Yesterday Feelings_

Sakura looked through her pack once more to ensure that everything was in order. All of her medical scrolls and tools were there, as well as several packing scrolls' worth of clothes. She hummed to herself as she zipped the pack shut and threw it over her shoulders, clinching the straps tight out of habit. _Ready._ They hadn't officially been chosen for the mission but Sakura couldn't see Tsunade sending anyone else to Taka, once she and Kakashi had the opportunity to present their case to her. Sakura checked her watch – twenty minutes after Kakashi had agreed to meet her at the Hokage Tower. _Right on time._ Sakura poured one last coffee-cup full of water over her recovering plant and she smiled fondly at it once, then turned away, heart light. Ino would be taking care of it – she hoped. Sakura locked the door and checked it, then stowed the key safely away in a pocket of her medic's vest. She turned her back on her home and, taking a running start, leapt onto the nearest rooftop and toward the Hokage's office. She spotted Kakashi across the village and with a quick salute and a mischievous smile in his direction she sent a burst of chakra to her feet, racing toward her goal.

"I win!" She called out as she landed in front of the tower, spinning to face her rival. Kakashi leapt down from a nearby rooftop and snapped _Icha Icha Paradise_ shut, stowing it safely away.

"I didn't know we were racing."

"Lies." She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "Ma, it would be unusual for me to be here first anyway, wouldn't it?"

"You're still late." She reminded him. The two shinobi turned and entered the tower. As soon as they walked in, Sakura felt a little less confident than she had before, the secretary was hurriedly filling out paperwork and a line of shinobi stood at her desk, various slips of paper and scrolls visible in their hands. Sakura sighed, but Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets and slouched past the line toward the stairs.

"Kakashi!" Sakura hissed. "Wait."

He looked over his shoulder at her and motioned for her to come closer. Sakura looked around nervously and her footsteps felt heavy and loud to her as she walked across the first floor to him.

"They're all chuunin and jounin. We're ANBU, special jounin. So we don't have to wait."

Sakura's eyes widened at him. "That's not fair."

"Yes it is." Kakashi smiled weakly, her naivety could be annoying sometimes. "Our mission takes precedence."

Sakura sighed. "Whatever." She trudged past Kakashi, up the stairs, and he followed her closely. She stopped at the door to Tsunade's office and looked at him.

_Well?_

Kakashi reached across her to knock, and as he tapped her light, flowery scent hit him, she was a little sweaty but that didn't bother him, and he fought to keep from sighing. _So nice._

Tap, tap, tap! His knuckles hit the door, and Shizune opened it presently. "Yes?"

"Mission." Kakashi refocused and pulled the paper from his vest. Shizune glanced at it, sighing. "You're not supposed to do that..." She muttered, but she opened the door for the two shinobi.

"Shishou." Sakura greeted and bowed, and Kakashi saluted the Hokage.

"What is it? I'm very busy." Tsunade snapped.

"We won't be bothering you for long, Tsunade-sama." Kakashi walked over to her desk and dropped the slip of paper onto her desk. She picked it up and leaned back into her chair, reading over it carefully.

"And?"

"We think we'd be the perfect candidates." Sakura put a hand on her hip and shifted her weight. "I'll go as a medical emissary and Kakashi can be my bodyguard."

Tsunade looked from Sakura to Kakashi.

"It will be a good opportunity to gather information while improving international relations."

Tsunade sucked her teeth and grabbed her teacup. After a moment, she sighed. "I was going to send Naruto."

_Check._ The gears in Kakashi's mind were turning like mad, and Sakura looked defeated.

"Then why post it on the public bulletin?"

"I need someone to send with him."

"We'll go with him."

"We don't need three people on this mission."

"Taka will be the main offender if a shitstorm starts."

Tsunade slammed her cup onto the desk. "Rain will be the offender and you both know that!"

The silence that followed rang in Sakura's ears. Kakashi's next ply was softly spoken. "We won't be able to negotiate with Rain to bring them to our side, though, will we?"

Tsunade was quiet as she thought about it.

_Checkmate._ His argument was solid and he knew it. Sakura was impressed by Kakashi's persuasive skills but she knew that in the end, Tsunade would decide what she thought was right. However, it seemed that the blonde Hokage had given in.

"Fine. I'll send the three of you. And you're right, Hatake, the primary goal of this mission is reconissance, the secondary goal is improving diplomatic relations. Kakashi, I'll need you to keep an eye on Naruto. I've been talking with him, and I've sent him to the Hidden Sand a few times, but this mission is too delicate for me to trust him to handle on his own." Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement. Tsunade rested her face in her hand and sipped her tea. "I'll make him captain again in that case. Kakashi, I'm counting on you."

"Hai."

The pair turned to leave and Tsunade called out one last remark to them.

"You all can leave in two days. I need some time for Shizune to work the hospital schedule around Sakura's absence."

"Hai!" Sakura replied just before the door closed.

Kakashi sighed. "That was a huge success. You'll let Naruto know?"

"Un." Sakura agreed.

"Jaaaa-ne."

Sakura was off before he finished his farewell.

Sakura felt so good soaring across the rooftops she could hardly remember the days when Konoha had been nearly destroyed. The war seemed so far behind her, a distant memory. Part of her felt like dancing, and the silly smile on her face was testament to that. She scanned the rooftops carelessly for Naruto. After all, she had time to find him. She jumped onto the second tier of the tall building Naruto called home and rapped on his door loudly.

"Naruto! Na – RU – TO!"

Nothing.

She bounced away and off of the walkway that circled his apartment down onto the street below, then raced up the backside of Ichiraku and swung down into the ramen stand.

"Ayame-san! Has Naruto been by?"

"Hai, he was here for lunch but he's gone now!"

"Arigato!" Sakura sped away down the street toward the training grounds just outside the village. Sure enough, there he was, fighting off several of his own kage bunshin.

"Narutooo!"

"Ah- ahhh!" He yelled as one of his copies landed a punch squarely into his face and sent him flying backward. "Shakurashan..." He groaned from the roots of the tree he'd flown into.

"Baka!" She helped him up, laughing, and her healing chakra soon fixed the damage he'd done to his face.

"And you? What did you need me for?" Naruto grinned and threw his hand behind his head. "Did you want to go on that date with me?"

"No." Sakura crossed her arms as she couldn't bring herself to hit him again. "Better!"

"What could be better than that?" Naruto mumbled, but he soon smiled again. "So what is it?"

"Mission with Kakashi-sensei!"

"How is that better?" Naruto's smile fell from his face.

"Don't make that face. We're all going to Taka, on a diplomatic mission. And you're the diplomat!"

Naruto managed a lopsided smile. "Well, how about that?" His eyes shone a little with pride and Sakura put her hand on his shoulder.

"One step closer, ne?" She smiled warmly at him. "Come on, I'll brief you. We're leaving day after tomorrow, but we could stay up tonight and hang out if you want, and I'll tell you all about the mission and stuff."

"Oh, really?" Naruto's smile widened as Sakura nodded. "Let's rent some movies then! You've seen all the ones I've got at my house! This is gonna be great! We should get some sake too, and some more ramen, I've only got seafood flavor at my house – it's been so long since you came over just to hang out!" Sakura had to quicken her step to keep up with the rambunctious shinobi next to her.

"Fine, fine, just no more _Icha Icha_ movies!" She laughed.

The pair laughed and talked all the way to the video store.

Kakashi looked up as the bell at the door tinkled softly, his paranoid tendencies kicking in again. He relaxed as soon as he heard his teammates' familiar voices. Sakura was laughing – such a pretty, rare sound – and Naruto was... snorting. Apparently they were having a sleep-over. Kakashi wondered if it was something they did often. Suddenly he felt hot under the collar and there was nowhere good to put his hands as he pictured Sakura fast asleep on Naruto's couch with Naruto draped over her, arms around her waist. _No way._ Still, Sakura had been the object of Naruto's affection for ages, and it was common knowledge that she routinely turned him down when he asked her on dates. Maybe she'd finally given in to the infamously persistent ninja. Before he could stop himself, Kakashi found himself in the action section with his former students.

"Fancy running into you two here." Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets, trying to be cool.

"Kakashi -" Sakura stopped herself again, blinking. Kakashi noted her discomfort and again wished he had never said anything about her calling him sensei to begin with.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto beamed.

_Of course he'd be happy._ "What are you two up to?"

Sakura's brow creased ever so slightly in her confusion at Kakashi's error – he hadn't reprimanded **Naruto** for calling him sensei. Her smile fell a tiny bit as she realized that Kakashi had made an error at all. _What..._

Before she could finish her thought, Naruto spoke up. "Sakura told me all about the thing, we're going to spend the night talking about it some more and watching movies, just like we used to after the war." Kakashi didn't think it was possible, but Naruto's grin widened. The older jounin frowned in annoyance. _So they have been doing this for awhile._ He tried to be happy for them. "Well that sounds great, I hope you guys -"

"You should join us, Kakashi-**sensei**." Sakura smiled sweetly at him.

Kakashi felt a different sort of heat creep up his face. "No, no, I don't want to impose."

"Impossible, Kakashi-sensei, it's just a friendly get-together."

Naruto looked a little crestfallen but Kakashi recognized the lingering smile on the boy's face. Hope.

_Not a chance._ Kakashi paused as though he were considering Sakura's offer. _Oh, Kami, I'm getting competitive, what is **wrong** with me?_ _And Sakura is calling me out on the sensei thing._ Kakashi took a deep breath. _Why not?_ "Sure, ok, sounds great."

"Super!" Sakura smiled mischievously at Kakashi and pushed Naruto toward him. "You guys pick an action movie, I'm going to get a romance."

"Paradise was good." Kakashi threw the mirthless suggestion at her back.

"I said **romance**, not smut!" She called back at him. "Be right back!"

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei, how about this one?" Naruto was already pointing eagerly to a new _Gutsy Ninja_ movie that had just come out.

* * *

Several hours (and bottles of sake) later, Naruto was passed out cold on the floor and Kakashi was sitting on the couch with Sakura, who was curled up under a holey old blanket of Naruto's. Kakashi leaned against the side of the couch, sleep finally creeping up on him as the movie neared its end. Still, he wanted to see what happened to the kunoichi turned rogue as she faced off with the revenge-seeking hunter-nin that had finally caught up to her and her family. He glanced over at Sakura as the heroine's lover fell in battle, and Kakashi was a bit surprised to see tears streaming down the pinkette's face. Sakura sniffed and wiped her face with the soft blanket as the heroine said her last goodbyes and the movie ended. Sakura continued to wipe her face throughout the credits, with their sad piano music, and finally the screen turned a bright blue as the tape ended. She pressed the blanket against her face once more, then made to get up.

"I've got it." Kakashi murmured, and Sakura looked over at him, surprised and embarassed. He turned the television off and hit 'rewind' on the VCR, then returned to his place on the couch.

"I – I didn't realize you were still awake." Sakura croaked.

Kakashi didn't say anything, but she could tell he wasn't bothered by her display of emotion. Sakura re-arranged the covers around herself before speaking again.

"So, what's with the sensei thing?" She whispered.

Kakashi glanced at her, then rested his face in his hand again. "Nothing really. Don't worry about it. Go to sleep."

Sakura bit her lip. "I want to know."

Kakashi sighed. "It's not a big deal. I just..." _I thought we were past that._

Sakura looked at Kakashi there on the other end of Naruto's couch, slouched against his own arm. She smiled a little at the way the moonlight turned the ends of his messy hair silver, and her eyes traced the outline of his masked face against the darkness of the couch under him.

"I think I understand." She whispered back. "You're not old." Sakura scooted toward him and set a hand on his upper arm. Kakashi fought to stay relaxed, to keep from tensing under her soft touch, to keep from sighing with relief at the comfort she offered him. "Kakashi." She squeezed his arm slightly and smiled at him as he looked over at her, and Kakashi felt a tightness in his chest. It was vaguely painful, but sweet all the same. His lips burned and he checked himself to keep from running his tongue over them under his mask, but he couldn't keep from pursing them briefly. She looked so beautiful in the moonlight, her hair more silver than pink, her skin shining, paler than usual. Her eyes glittered lovat in the darkness, and the tearstains on her cheeks only made her look more innocent and endearing to him. Sakura pulled her arm away from him and curled back up under the blanket with a deep breath, and once she'd settled down, she whispered to him again.

"Goodnight, Kakashi."

Oh, she would be his undoing, he knew. Kakashi was already committing her face to memory, he never wanted to forget it, and that's when the gravity of the situation hit him, deep in his guts, and suddenly he felt so heavy – he had to get away. He stood, slowly and carefully so as not to cause a stir in case she had already fallen asleep.

"Goodnight, Sakura." He whispered back, and with a silent hand sign, he was gone.

* * *

Kakashi sighed, staring at the front door to his house. Eventually, he stuck his hand in his pocket and fished out his key, then entered. He didn't bother to turn the light on. Kakashi slowly took his shoes off and quietly walked to his couch. Once he was there he re-arranged the cushions to one side. He pulled the throw over his body and fell asleep there, still dressed. As he drifted off, a small smile appeared on his face.

_Kakashi blinked as he woke up. The sunlight was filtering through the leaves, warming his body, and he stretched languidly, then crossed his arms behind his head, sighing. It was such a beautiful, peaceful day... He looked up into the branches of the tree, springtime in Konoha was his favorite season._

"_Kakashi!"_

_He heard the voice calling him a short distance away. He sat up and rested his arms on his bent knees, waiting for her to find him as she always did. He watched as she walked over to him, her yellow sundress clinging to her creamy legs thanks to the breeze. Kakashi smiled at her and she smiled back at him from under her floppy hat, swinging a basket. Sakura laughed as she sat down beside him and opened the basket._

"_I brought bento." She handed him his, which was wrapped in a light blue cloth, and she kissed him lightly through his mask, on the lips. Kakashi thanked her and unwrapped it, inside was a colorful assortment of onigiri and salad._

_Sakura leaned toward him and made eye contact, pressing her breasts together in between her arms. "It's your favorite, bonito."_

_Kakashi set the bento on the grass and pulled his mask down. "Wonderful." He said, and he leaned in toward Sakura. He brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, then cupped it in his hand and leaned in further, locking his lips with hers. Sakura's sweet taste invaded his senses, and her soft lips pressed back against his._

"_Kakashi."_

"_Kakashi..."_

"_Kakashi!"_

Kakashi jerked awake suddenly and looked around. He was alone.

But it had all seemed so real, so vivid...

Kakashi sat up and tossed the throw away, covering his face with his hand.

_Yes, this is really happening._

* * *

Sakura, Kakashi and Naruto flew through the treetops toward Taka. Tsunade had made all of the necessary arrangements for their peaceful reception in Taka and they'd be meeting with , several 'special jounin' (translate: ANBU) at the border. From there they'd be heading to Taka's capital city and ninja village, Hida. Kakashi stifled another sigh and resisted the urge to look over his shoulder to Naruto and Sakura, who were running along just a few steps behind him. Although they were ANBU, mission-wise they were also considered 'special jounin'. Sakura's medical knowledge was being pro-offered to the village as a peace offering, and Kakashi was her bodyguard, just as they'd proposed to the Hokage. Naruto would be attending to his diplomatic duties and Kakashi would be accompanying him in his free time in addition to recording the results of the team's joint effort in reconissance.

It wasn't a long trek to Taka, and soon they had reached the meeting point, where five Taka-nin were waiting. Greetings were exchanged, and although the Taka ninja seemed cold at first, soon Naruto had them engaged in an easygoing conversation. Even if they weren't smiling, at least they weren't scowling anymore. As soon as they arrived in Hida, they were shown to their rooms. Kakashi half-expected it, but he was still a little surprised to be sharing a room with Sakura rather than staying in one next to hers. _No matter._ Next on the agenda was a tour of the town, led by one of the feudal lord's many assistants. Sakura was intrigued by the number of people in traditional dress, and Kakashi reminded her that this was not a village structured around shinobi lifestyle. To the contrary, the ninja in the village were part of an exclusive and somewhat segregated subculture.

Later that evening the group was treated to an elaborate dinner hosted by the leader of the shinobi of the village, Suzuka Tanaka. Kakashi immediately recognized her long, dark hair and slender figure as they entered the room where the shinobi would be sharing their meal.

"Tanaka-san." He bent slightly in respect, and Naruto and Sakura followed suit. "It's been a long time.

"Fancy meeting you here, Hatake-san. When they told me the son of the White Fang would be here I was surprised, to be sure." She smiled at him, but there was no friendliness in the gesture. "I thought that surely you would have retired by now." She raised an eyebrow at him. Kakashi didn't reply, instead the three Leaf-nin took their seats at the table, to the left of Suzuka. "And the Godaime Hokage's apprentice? I'm flattered. The village can manage without you?"

Sakura smiled serenely and poured tea for her companions as well as herself. "But of course. There are many able shinobi back home to tend to the needs of the hospital and the village." She tilted her head at Suzuka. "I'm honored to be here."

"You can reserve the niceties for the Feudal Lord." There was a hard glint in Suzuka's eyes that hadn't been there before. Her smile faded and she suddenly looked older and more severe. "I think it's safe to say I know why you are all here."

_Naruto._ Kakashi knew that if anyone could crack Suzuka's hard shell, it would be him.

"Ah. Let's get down to it then." Naruto's face was more serious than usual, but Sakura saw the hope that he was famous for flash somewhere within those deep blue eyes. "Even though I wasn't involved in any of the things that happened in the past-"

"You may not have been, but **he** was." Suzuka suddenly lashed out. With a sweeping motion, she extended her open hand toward Kakashi and continued to speak. "Many of our friends and family were cut down by both him and his father, and your village has the **gall** to send him here as an emissary? **Is this a joke or a threat?**" Suzuka raised her voice to him.

"It's neither one!" Naruto countered, placing his hand on the table. "We are here to apologize. We are making your village an offer. Peace between the two nations as well as an exchange of skills and materials. Trade. It's good for everyone. Sakura is here to train your medic-nin and improve your hospital, Kakashi is here to apologize on behalf of the village and we are offering your whole country our full support."

Suzuka blinked and lowered her hand to her sake cup, draining it in one gulp. "Good for everyone, you say. Until you no longer need us."

Kakashi opened his mouth to speak. "Naruto is going to-"

"Not a word out of you!" Suzuka spoke sharply to the Copy-nin. "You..." She looked away from him. "Speak for yourself, boy." She commanded, her words were aimed at Naruto.

Naruto smiled, ready. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Right now, I'm just here on a diplomatic mission. But someday soon, I'm going to be the next Hokage." He spoke the words with such confidence and he exuded positivity. "Believe it."

Suzuka stared at him, open-mouthed. Suddenly she chuckled. "Are you serious, kid?" She spoke softly now.

Naruto nodded. "My number one goal is to bring peace to all of the shinobi nations. Tsunade baa-chan has already formed a strong bond between the five great nations. But I don't want to create a superpower. I just want peace." Naruto's mouth was set in a firm line.

"And how do you plan to bring about this peace that you speak of? As a shinobi you should know that our lives revolve around violence, and that our very existence feeds off of others' desires for death and vengeance." Suzuka's interest had been piqued, and Naruto had cracked her shell already, without Kakashi's help.

_He never needed me from the start._ Kakashi smiled under his mask and sipped his tea. _Every time I turn my back, he grows... He's already passed me up._ Kakashi felt a little older in that moment, but he was happy. Proud.

Naruto never wavered. "I'm not sure yet exactly how we can achieve peace. But I think this is a good way to start. If we don't recognize our mistakes and work to fix them, we'll never make a good impact on anyone. And forcing others to do things our way isn't the answer either. That's not true peace." Naruto's eyes looked just a little bit sad, and Sakura looked away to her empty plate, remembering the destruction of Konoha. "We've all suffered." Naruto's words were heavy with the burdens of both nations. "But we have to fight to make this better."

Suzuka narrowed her eyes at Naruto. "Tell me this, Naruto-kun." She paused. "If you had a choice between crushing the person who hurt you or helping them... siding with them..." She paused again and her last words were even softer than those that preceded them, "What would you do? Tell me." She waited for his answer.

Sakura and Kakashi were confident in Naruto's ability and Suzuka glanced at Sakura as she saw the smile form on the pinkette's face.

_Has Sasuke already approached them?_ Kakashi worried to himself, but his thoughts never showed themselves on his face.

Naruto looked at Suzuka with determination. "I'd help them, for sure." He paused. "Every time."

The room was silent for a few moments as Suzuka processed Naruto's response. Suddenly she smiled genuinely, shaking her head and picking up her chopsticks. "You're an enigma, kid. I don't know what to think of you just yet." She laughed a little. "But you know what? I like you."

* * *

Kakashi had been so sure that it would be boring to follow Sakura around the hospital. Boring and frustrating. At least he could deal with boring. Frustrating... He could cope. But this? This was quickly turning into a form of torture. Following her around, hearing her laugh and seeing her smile, talking with her, listening to her, watching her work... If he knew that he was falling for her before, he realized now – he'd fallen now and there was no getting back up. He was in **love**. Kakashi grappled with this as Sakura held her training classes and traded information with the medics in Taka. He admired her as a kunoichi. He trusted her as a comrade. He knew her like only a friend could. And he loved her like a man. But he held it all in.

Granted, he had his reasons.

His first love was dead, and it had been one-sided at that. Rin had known he'd loved her, but she and Obito had always been destined to be together. Even after they'd lost Obito, Kakashi hadn't stood a chance. He'd had his pick of eligible bachlorettes in the village, but the one girl he wanted, he couldn't have. Rin was that kind of girl – it was one of his favorite things about her. She was loyal to the very end.

And Kakashi saw so much of Rin in Sakura...

Kakashi held his head in his hands. _Can this get any harder?_ He sincerely hoped he wasn't projecting his old feelings for Rin onto his relationship with Sakura. But he didn't think so. It was more like **Sakura** reminded him of **Rin**, and as he spent more and more time with Sakura he saw those traits in her that brought back the old days of Minato's team. She cared about her teammates in a motherly sort of way, but at the same time she was their best friend. He saw the similarities between the two teams as well. Sakura had been desperately in love with Sasuke at some point, but he was now unreacheable. Naruto held on to his crush for Sakura and was determined that he could never fall out of love with her. And Sakura seemed as unattainable as ever. Even though she never talked about it, Kakashi suspected that there was still some Sasuke-related turmoil hidden in some corner of her heart.

He rolled onto the bed and under the covers as he heard the shower tap shut off. Kakashi closed his eyes and hoped for a dreamless sleep.

* * *

AN: Once again, thank you all for reviewing. Your reviews make my day, and let me know that I'm not failing at making YOU happy :) ! ! !


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_Paralyzed_

Kakashi was sitting in the lab again, watching as Sakura lectured a small group of medics on the uses and manufacture of some of the different medications she had brought from Konoha. She answered everyone's questions and then went on to demonstrate the correct way to prepare and use an IV bag. The medics were all impressed and expressed their gratitude – even here, in a foreign land where a mere week before they had been less than welcome, Sakura had made friends and was changing and saving lives. Kakashi wished he could say the same for himself. The night before, Naruto had finally confronted him about his past missions in Taka. Kakashi felt uncomfortable disclosing information about those missions to his former student, but it couldn't be helped. A short time after he'd made jounin, at 13, his team had been disbanded and he'd been sent on a variety of missions to Taka, both solo and with Minato. He'd been all over, really, he'd explained to Naruto. Sand, Rock, Wave, Mist. As a special jounin, his duty had always come first, and he'd taken every mission the village had thrown at him. His memory had become flawed through the passage of time, but he remembered the gist of most of the missions. Capture the scroll, murder the defector, destroy the supplies, assassinate the important person. Those kinds of missions. From speaking with Naruto, he gathered that some of those important people had also been important to Suzuka. Kakashi reiterated to Naruto that the missions he carried out had been vital to the village's safety. Back in those days, shinobi life had been much more violent than the relatively peaceful life that Naruto's generation had enjoyed.

All the same, he never thought he'd be in Taka sharing information, materials and skills with the shinobi there.

He felt much as he'd felt when Team 7 had gone to Suna nearly eight years before. Uncomfortably welcome. It was unsettling for Kakashi to walk amongst the shinobi and the children of the shinobi he'd likely fought back in the third war. At least he wasn't so much on edge anymore, as he had been when they arrived.

Sakura was wrapping things up, peeling off her gloves and saying her goodbyes to her students. She smiled as she approached Kakashi.

"Well, that went well. Looks like they're getting the hang of things."

"Ah. That's great." Kakashi nodded.

"Ready for lunch?"

"Yep."

They headed to a little teahouse, close to the hospital.

"Umm, Kakashi, I wanted to ask you something."

Kakashi's face didn't betray his curiosity. It probably wasn't anything serious anyway...

"Aren't you bored?"

Kakashi looked away from her and sipped his tea. "Not really."

"I've never seen you, well... **sit around** so much in one week." She looked a bit concerned.

"Well..." Kakashi took another sip of tea. "I guess I could use some action. Why?"

Sakura smirked at him. "One of the students informed me that all of my afternoon lectures were being cancelled. The medics are being called in for a meeting, and since the hospital isn't busy..." A faraway look crossed Sakura's face for just a moment but she recovered quickly. "I thought there might be a training ground somewhere that we could tear up." Most of her enthusiasm had returned.

"That's a good idea. I'd love a friendly spar."

The waitress brought their food.

"Great."

They sat in silence for a few minutes while they ate their lunch.

"Hey, Sakura."

"Mm?"

"What were you thinking about?"

Sakura looked up from her salad and swallowed. "When? Just now?"

Kakashi shook his head. "A little while ago. When you were talking about the hospital."

Sakura's mouth formed a small 'o'. "That? I was thinking about Konoha."

Kakashi nodded. _Right_.

"When I left, things were getting pretty busy, and I was just worrying, hoping that everything was okay back home without me."

"Ah." Kakashi wished there was something he could do to ease her worries, but he couldn't think of a single thing. This wasn't something that flowers or a note would fix. A gesture like that would not be appropriate. The pair finished their meal and Kakashi paid from the mission allowance.

"Where do you think the training grounds are?" Sakura looked up and down the street.

"Follow me." Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets and started off in their direction.

"Wait, I need to change first, I was just at the hospital." She gestured down to her scrubs.

"Oh." Kakashi turned and followed her, slightly irritated. Suddenly he felt antzy, he wanted to get to the training grounds and work up a sweat instead of working out on the roof of the inn where they had been staying. It didn't help that he was thinking about Sakura again. His brow creased in irritation at himself, no matter how hard he tried he continually found his thoughts turning to his pink-haired partner. Even now, he was covertly looking at the way her scrubs hung around her hips, and how even in the shapeless garment her round, firm butt looked good. _No_. He attempted to wipe the thought from his mind and took a couple of big steps so that he could walk beside her. He had no business walking behind her.

"Taka is so pretty, isn't it?" Sakura made an effort to strike up a conversation right away. Kakashi was a pretty quiet guy, and although he loved to hear her talk, he hated small talk himself. But Kakashi knew how to get around that. His heart beat a little faster as he responded.

"It's nice. What do you like about it?"

Sakura launched into a description of all of her favorite things about the village and it's little shops and many temples. She talked about how much she liked the rolling hills and the trees, and she told him about how quaint she imagined the town must look in the wintertime, blanketed with snow. Kakashi was thankful that she was so open with him, and that she was so glad to share her thoughts with him. But when she asked him back, "How about you?" He was at a loss for words. Certainly there was a lot that he wanted to say, but nothing he felt he could actually voice.

"It's a nice town. The people are nice."

Sakura waited a bit more for him to elaborate. She looked over at him, then smiled, laughing to herself a bit and shaking her head. "I'm sure their tourism ministry wouldn't be too happy to hear that **that** is your impression of Hida."

"I didn't know they had a tourism ministry. They didn't welcome me the first time **I** visited, anyway."

Sakura laughed at his dry comment.

Kakashi felt like hitting himself in the face. _Don't be stupid. She's always liked and laughed at the things you said before. You don't have to say something witty to make an impression._ He felt like he couldn't help overthinking things though; it was part of his nature, it was one of the things that had helped him to become so successful. In all honesty, it wasn't something Kakashi was willing to give up on.

Sakura unlocked the door to their room and they both entered. Sakura looked over her shoulder at Kakashi quickly and smiled nervously. "I can tell you wanna hit the road, I'm just gonna change here, 'kay?"

Kakshi almost choked on his response. "Okay."

Sakura already had her shirt half-off by that time, and she threw it on the bed. Kakashi was trying to be mature but... Damn. She had on a black bra and black panties, and he had to look away and up when he saw her begin to bend over to put her shorts on in the dark room. _Dammit._ He'd done so well that time she'd been showering at her house. Maybe it had been because it was **before** he realized that he was in love with her, not just attracted to her. He felt so much closer to her even though as far as she was concerned, nothing had changed between them.

"All done." She patted his shoulder and walked out the door, and Kakashi tried to be subtle about sniffing the blood in his nose away from his mask as he locked the door behind them.

"You ok?"

"Allergies."

Her response was delayed. "O... kay?"

_Dammit!_ There it was again, that uncomfortable feeling in Kakashi's gut. _Whatever, just forget it, forget about it. No big deal._ They didn't speak another word the whole way to the training grounds.

"Nice." Sakura looked around, pulling her gloves on tighter. "Though there won't be a hill here when we're done." She smirked at him. "Hey, Kakashi, real quick." She got close to him and Kakashi leaned away from her just a little.

"You've got something on your mask."

Kakashi felt himself turning red and Sakura's smirk widened into a smile as she watched him wiggle his nose. "I don't – I don't feel anything..."

Sakura pulled her hair into a ponytail nonchalantly. "And you know what else?"

Kakashi found himself holding on to her words despite the bad feeling in his gut.

"It's not like you haven't seen my panties before."

A visual of Sakura bending over in her little black panties crossed his mind one more time as he tried to dodge her punch, but she was fast and he was distracted, and so it connected, though the hit was less powerful than it would have been if he'd just stood and taken it. He flipped backwards and landed on his feet, steadying himself with a hand to the ground. Sakura flew forward and aimed a kick at his head, which he grabbed, throwing her across the training ground. And so they trained. Kakashi was so glad to rid himself of the tension that had been building over the last week. He was especially happy to be doing it with Sakura. This was a familiar environment that they could both handle, and the worries of the mission and the panty incidents and Kakashi's newly discovered love melted away as each blow connected. Afterwards, Sakura was patching Kakashi up (though he insisted she heal her bruises first) when he had a thought.

"Let's grab some dessert."

Sakura laughed. "Sweet tooth?"

Kakashi nodded, sending an eye-crinkling smile her way. "I saw a frozen yogurt place. Thought we should try it." _Almost like a date._ The thought crossed his mind, unbidden, but strangely he wasn't unsettled by it.

"Yeah, let's do it!" Sakura cheered as she drained her water bottle. "By the way," she began as they walked back towards the town, "your body-flicker is so good. It'd be great if you could give me some pointers."

"Yeah, sure."

"Cool! I feel like even though I'm a jounin now, I'm still lacking in some areas... plus I only have the one earth/water jutsu. A long time ago someone told me that I was more of a genjutsu type." She cocked her head at him. "It was you, wasn't it?"

Kakashi tried to remember. "I can't recall, to be honest."

"Eh. Me neither. Well, you know a ton of genjutsu, don't you?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. I could show you the ropes."

"I'm so stoked! Thanks, Kakashi."

He noticed that she said his name with more ease every time. He felt good about that.

"This looks like the place." Kakashi pointed up to the neon sign that flashed 'Yogurt' in hot pink letters. They walked in and served themselves, as per the instructions on the walls. Sakura went straight for the mystery flavor, while Kakashi mixed some of the tamer flavors.

"Coffee, huh? Never seen you drink a cup in my life."

Kakashi glanced sidelong at her "I drink coffee most mornings. I'm surprised you didn't notice."

Sakura thought about it for a minute as they sat down. "Usually you drink tea with us."

Kakashi shrugged. "If it's what's available."

Sakura looked to her yogurt and poked it with her spoon.

Kakashi hooked his fingertip into his mask and slowly pulled it down.

"Itadakimasu." He scooped up some of the yogurt.

Sakura chose that moment to look up and her mouth dropped open. She tried to speak but couldn't.

"Mmm, it's really good. You should try it." Kakashi smiled at her lopsidedly, showing just a little of his teeth.

She was surprised, to say the least. There was a faint scar crossing his left cheek, under his sharingan eye. Really it was just a small, shiny line. A bit of silvery stubble coated his chin and jawline. His lips were thin, but not unattractively so, and the wrinkles around the corners of his mouth were minimal. For a shinobi, his nose was very straight and aristocratic. There wasn't a freckle on him, but Sakura detected a tan line across the bridge of his nose and the apples of his cheeks. His eye seemed to twinkle at her as he smiled and the effect was devastating. She suddenly crash-landed back to Earth and tried to respond, stuttering, realizing too late that he had said something to her. Her heart pounded.

"I – uh, huh – It's..." She blanched. "I have no idea what you said." She blurted.

"Have some yogurt." The smile never left his face. If anything, it got a little bigger. He was **so** tempted to feed her some of the dessert she'd gotten but he kept his hands to himself.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure." Sakura could feel the heat creeping up her neck, but she tried to brush it off. She scooped up a huge spoonful of yogurt and shoved it into her mouth. "Wao – cold!" She pressed her napkin to her mouth and scrunched her eyes shut through the brain freeze.

And Kakashi laughed.

Sakura just couldn't get comfortable seeing his face. It was stunning, it was beautiful, it was different. She had a hard time connecting it with the person she had known for so long. _It shouldn't make a difference, I suppose. _Still, it was... **distracting**. Sakura was almost thankful when the mask went back up. At the same time she wanted to keep staring at his face...

"Let's go."

Sakura could hear the smile in his voice, although he sounded a little apologetic.

As soon as they got outside, Sakura confronted him. "Why did you do that?"

Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "What?"

"Rghh, the **mask** thing!"

"Oh. I don't know. I figured it was about time." Kakashi scratched the back of his neck.

"You're silly." She spoke softly. _He's acting so strangely..._ Sakura's eyes widened minutely and she turned her face away from him so he wouldn't see. _Don't tell me... _

They walked together in silence back to the hotel.

As soon as the door closed, Sakura leaned against it.

"Kakashi." She spoke very quietly, it was evening already and Naruto was most likely relaxing or sleeping in the room next to theirs. "What's really going on?" She whispered.

Kakashi paused for a few moments before answering. Finally, he looked over his shoulder at her. "Nothing. Why?"

"I feel like... like... I dont know, you're acting **different** lately..." Sakura looked away.

Kakashi turned back around and took his shirt off, and his mask went with it. Sakura didn't look.

"It's really nothing." He sounded a little sad. He flopped on the bed, still facing away from Sakura. "You can shower first."

Sakura's head hurt from the confusing thoughts spinning around in it. _Moody. Doing things he's never done before around me. Pretending there's nothing wrong. He's either suicidal or..._

Sakura closed the bathroom door with a quiet 'click'.

* * *

The mission had gone well.

Thanks to Team Seven's efforts, a tentative agreement had been established between Konoha and the shinobi of Hida, and thereby the country of Taka. Tsunade had praised them highly upon their return, they had made a big step in the direction of protecting Konoha and breaking down any relations that Taka may have had with Sasuke. Naruto and Tsunade had met privately to discuss classified topics relating to that subject, as well as other details. And Tsunade and Naruto had come to an agreement.

That was why Kakashi was there.

He rapped on the door and stepped in, knowing that he was expected. He looked from Naruto to Tsunade.

"Well, it's been decided."

Kakashi cocked his head ever so slightly at Tsunade.

"Naruto is going to be the next Hokage. He's proven himself capable with this last mission's success. ANBU was never a requirement to begin with. And his resume is stellar, he's proven his ability to protect this village more than once." Tsunade sighed and smiled. "It's time for me to step down, anyway." She looked a little sad. "Shikaku and I will make up the new council, they are also retiring. We all agree that the future of the shinobi world is better left to you young ones." The unspoken words hung in the air, tainting what should have been a purely happy moment. If Jiraiya had still been alive, the two remaining Sannin would have comprised the council.

Naruto was looking nostalgic and happy as well.

_His dream is finally coming true, thanks to his ninja way._ Kakashi couldn't help but feel proud in that moment. He walked over to Naruto and extended his hand.

"Congratulations, Rokudaime-sama." He smiled at his former student.

Naruto threw his free hand behind his head and a bead of sweat appeared on his temple. "Well..." He grinned. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei."

"So when is the inauguration?"

"Next week."

"I'll be there." Kakashi paused. "Does Sakura know?"

"He he." Naruto's smile widened and he looked pleased. "No, I thought we'd surprise her. As a team, you know?"

Kakashi agreed. "Let's go." He saluted the Hokage and the pair jumped from the window, racing across the rooftops toward Sakura's apartment.

"Sakura-chan! Oi, Sakura-chan!" Naruto pounded on her door.

"What now, Naruto?" Sakura threw open the door. "I was eating, what do you want?"

"Ne, ne, let us in!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and again, she couldn't help but smile at her teammate. He was obviously **bursting** with **something**. "Come in, you two." She turned, leaving the door open for them. As soon as it shut behind them Naruto started.

"Tsunade called me in for a meeting, and the council was there and they were all talking about how Tsunade-baa-chan is getting old and they need to replace her soon besides she is ready to step down and everyone all together decided that _**I'm going to be the next Hokage**_!"

"_**What?"**_ Sakura jumped up from her breakfast and ran into Naruto's waiting arms, suddenly crying. "I'm so happy for you! Oh, this is the best day ever! I'm so happy... and proud... Naruto..." He hugged her back fiercely.

"Kakashi, isn't this great?"

Kakashi nodded. Sakura ran to him from Naruto and grabbed his hands tightly. "We have to take Naruto out! All the ramen he can eat!" She exclaimed.

"Actually..."

Sakura looked over to her blonde friend, surprised. "You're **turning down** ramen?"

"Well, I was thinking we should get all of the rookies together and go to Yakiniku Q or something, you know? To celebrate." His face was tinged pink as he suddenly became just a little bit shy.

"Of course! And Kakashi, you can get all of the jounin teachers together!"

Kakashi nodded.

"Alright! Let's go!" Sakura was already clipping on her pouch and putting on her shoes. "And I've got a better idea than Yakiniku Q. We're going to Fugakyu!"

Sakura ran around the village, getting everyone together. Most everyone was easy to find and convince, Neji was harder to find being ANBU and all, but in hindsight, Sakura guessed she should have checked HQ first. Ino was another story.

"So I heard you're getting everyone together."

"Already? You're outrageous..." Sakura hit her face with her palm, laughing.

"I have my sources." She winked at Sakura.

"Genma, **again**?" Sakura laughed. "Come on, he's what? Twelve years older than you?"

"He's more mature than some!" Ino defended.

Sakura shrugged. "I wouldn't know."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's right, you've never had a boyfriend."

"And I'm proud of it."

"One of these days, you're going to have to settle down."

"I don't have to do anything. But you **do** have to come to Fugakyu tonight. Huge party. Sushi, sake, the whole nine yards."

"And why, pray tell, are we all having this enormous get-together? Jounin, ANBU – oh, don't look at me like that! - and all of the rookies? Something's up." Ino's eyes glinted with curiosity and she blinked at Sakura a few times. More like batted her eyes at Sakura.

"Really? You're using that tactic on me? That only works on Genma!"

"My mission records beg to differ."

"I'm not telling you! You'll just have to come and find out for yourself. Be there at eight! Seven thirty if you want to chit-chat." Sakura hopped off of the stool and started to leave.

"Count me in!" Ino called after her friend.

_Good._ Sakura smirked to herself. _That's everyone._

She ran home to change, full of energy. _What to wear, what to wear?_ Sakura burst into her apartment and found Kakashi reading on her couch again.

"Why are you always in my apartment?" She exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise at his presence.

"Does it bother you?" Kakashi looked over his book at her.

Sakura sighed. "Not particularly." She stared at him for a bit. "Okay, if you're going to be here, you might as well help me figure out what to wear."

Kakashi snapped his book shut and stood, stuffing it into his pouch. "Lead the way."

Sakura raised both eyebrows and shook her head at him. "No, no, no, mister. You wait here. I'll be right back."

Kakashi saluted her. "Roger that."

Sakura walked into her room and closed the door. _What to wear, what to wear?_ The chant started up in her head again. _Okay, black sweater... black sweater... summer. No. White shirt? No, im going to be drinking. Red dress? No way. Red shirt. _She yanked it off of the hanger. _Where is that black skirt? _She started to tear through the back of her closet. "There you are." Sakura murmured to herself. She undressed hurriedly, then pulled her nice clothes on just as quickly. Sakura grabbed some flats and with a glance in the mirror, came out of her room.

"Eh?" She turned this way and that. "Good?"

Kakashi looked her over. Her v-neck shirt hugged her slight curves perfectly and offered a conservative view of her breasts. Her knee-length skirt complimented her sculpted calves and he knew the shoes would be comfortable, not that she'd be wearing them for long. But that's not what she wanted to hear. "Everything is great, but you should brush your hair."

Sakura rolled her eyes at him and tossed a shoe at him playfully, which he caught effortlessly. "Of course, but everything else... are you sure this outfit looks good?" She spun around again.

Kakashi smiled to himself. "Yes, you look... beautiful." The last word was spoken softly.

Sakura suddenly stood still and narrowed her eyes at him slightly, a confused look crossing her face again. She stepped towards him carefully, as though she were approaching a wild animal caught in a trap.

"Kakashi..." She stopped a couple of feet away from the couch and leaned in, looking him in the eye. "Is there something we need to talk about?"

Kakashi could feel the heat building under his collar, and he was sure she could hear his heart beat speeding up. He tried to look nonchalant but he kept tapping his fingertips nervously against the back of the couch. "Like what?" The words came out sounding more defensive than he had intended.

"Do you need me to spell it out for you?"

Kakashi suddenly froze. _Here it comes._

Sakura looked at him a little more.

_Let it go, let it go, let it go._

"Is everything alright?" Sakura ventured.

Kakashi was still stuck, he blinked at her.

"Kakashi?"

He blinked again. "Yes I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

"So what's with everything?" Sakura stood and walked around, sitting on the other end of the couch and tucking her legs underneath herself. "You can't deny you've been acting strangely these last few weeks. Dropping the honorifics, the mask..." She paused. "Well it doesn't seem like much but you haven't shown your face to Naruto, have you? And you don't make **him** call you just 'Kakashi'. And the way..." _The way you look at me..._ She bit her lip.

Kakashi sighed. "Look, it's not that I **don't **like you. Far from it." His heart pounded harder in his chest and his palms and fingertips were tingling with the nervous adrenaline that pumped its way through his system. "I consider you a close friend, probably one of the closest friends I've had in the last twenty years. I think you know me better than most..." Kakashi trailed off. "I know you pretty well, too. Also, I haven't been your teacher for nearly ten years. You really don't have to call me 'sensei' anymore. And you're not the first person to see my face." _Just the second in the last twelve years._ He stood and waved a hand at her. "Besides, did you ever stop to think just how old I am? I'll be thirty-seven in September." Kakashi pulled his shoes on at the door. _The idea of anything happening between the two of us is just ludicrous._ _Which makes me crazy. _"Come on, it's 7:15. Let's get going."

Sakura slowly unfolded her legs and stood from the couch. She picked up her shoes and walked to the door. _You don't **look** thirty-seven. _"Sorry, I guess I was being silly." She smiled weakly at Kakashi as he closed the door behind them. She kept herself from uttering the words that lingered on the tip of her tongue. _I don't want to make things weird between us and I'm glad to know that you don't like me like that._ **That** wouldn't be weird to say at all. But even after Kakashi's explanation, Sakura felt bothered, though. _**"There's something he's not telling you. Trust me." **_Inner Sakura's voice rang clearly in Sakura's head. "Shut up." Sakura mumbled to herself as they ran to Fugakyu. "Just shut up."

* * *

"Another round!" Ino cheered, raising her glass and nearly falling over.

Everyone who'd been invited had come except for Kurenai. On one end of the table sat Naruto and the rest of the rookie nine (minus Sasuke), plus Neji, Lee and Tenten. On the other end of the table sat the jounin (Kakashi, Genma, Yamato, Gai, and Aoba).

Genma propped Ino up as she leaned against him and drained her glass. "Don't you think you've had enough, sweetie?" He smirked at her.

"Never!" She proclaimed, raising her now empty glass again.

Everyone laughed good-naturedly and Shikamaru and Sakura both made gestures at Genma, signaling for him to cut her off.

Suddenly the shoji separating the room from the hallway slid open, and everyone turned to look to the entryway.

"And no one invited me?" Tsunade boomed, frowning at the group. Several jaws dropped in alarm.

"Not true! I did!" Naruto called her out.

"Tch!" Tsunade's face lit up with a wide smile that said 'just kidding!' and she took a seat among the jounin.

"A round for everyone!" Tsunade called loudly, and Genma covered his face with his hand as Ino cheered her on with a slurred, "Yeah!" and another wide, sweeping arm gesture with her empty glass. Tsunade laughed at Ino's antics as the waitstaff poured everyone's drinks.

"To Naruto, the Sixth Hokage!"

* * *

AN: Okay, I know it's late in coming and there's a lot of fluff and not much plot or whatnot going on but in the next chapter things will definitely start to pick up – and then... well, you'll see :D. Thanks again to all my lovely readers and reviewers, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and as always I love to read your reviews, comments, rants and emotional outbursts :P . Onwards, to Chapter 10!


	10. Chapter 10

AN: May I recommend a soundtrack selection for the first part of the chapter, "The Avengers" theme from the new movie. That is all :D

**Chapter 10**

_Eye of Fortune, Eye of Misfortune (Part I)_

Sakura frowned as she looked at Naruto that morning. He had a huge smile on his face and ramen in his mouth, and his apartment was an absolute mess.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!" He sing-songed.

"I thought you were going to get a haircut yesterday!" Sakura shook her head at him and picked up some of the clothes that lay strewn about his apartment as she forged her way into his abode. She dumped the clothes into the hamper, then approached him and grabbed his hair, pulling it lightly. Sakura sighed. "The hell, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled mysteriously at her, then got up and tied his hitae-ate around his head. She watched as he re-arranged his hair in the mirror, then turned around to look at her, his deep blue eyes steely, his face serious. He crossed his arms.

Sakura covered her mouth suddenly in recognition. "Holy... You look **exactly like** the Fourth!" She breathed.

Naruto's face broke into a wide smile. "I know, right? Except for the face marks." He rubbed his cheeks thoughtfully. "And I'm not as thin as he was..." Naruto walked around Sakura, pulling his shirt off and throwing it onto the floor. Sakura picked it up, irritated, and tossed it into the hamper with the rest of his laundry as he pulled on his jounin shirt, pants and vest. He clipped on his pouches and kunai holsters, and with a final tug he made sure his hitae-ate was tight. He stood in the open doorway and looked at Sakura over his shoulder, determination written all over his face.

"I'm ready, Sakura-chan."

They leapt across the rooftops together, there was already a huge crowd gathering in the streets in front of the Hokage tower. Naruto and Sakura jumped directly onto the roof of the Hokage tower where the old council, Kakashi, Shikaku, Shizune and Tsunade were waiting for them. Everyone's eyes widened slightly in surprise at Naruto's new look and Sakura thought she saw a tear form in Tsunade's eyes, but the Godaime blinked it away so quickly she couldn't be sure. A few more minutes went by and Kakashi glanced at his watch, nodding at Tsunade. She and Naruto stepped to the edge of the roof.

"People of Konoha. We have gathered you here so that you may witness the flame of the Fire Country pass onto the next generation of shinobi. After careful deliberation and evaluation of all possible candidates, the council, along with myself, the Fifth Hokage, have come to a unanimous decision."

"Uzumaki Naruto, do you swear to stand by this village and protect it with your life?"

"Yes I do!" Naruto called out his answer proudly.

"And do you swear to continue to carry on the Will of Fire and pass it onto the next generations of shinobi to come?"

"Yes, I do!"

Tsunade unfolded a white square that she had been carrying over her arm for the duration of the short ceremony. It turned out to be a white cloak with red flames adorning the hem, and emblazoned on the back in large red lettering were the words 'Roku-daime Hokage'. She placed it on Naruto's back and then, with a flourish, removed her hat.

"People of Fire Country! I present to you the Sixth Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto!"

A huge cheer erupted from the crowd as Naruto took the hat from her and briefly turned his back to the village, looking up toward the monument carved into the side of the mountain, the monument that his face would soon be a part of. He looked from Hokage to Hokage, smiling at his father's face the longest.

_I made it, Dad._

With another small smile for the monument, Naruto brought the red and white hat up to his head and turned to face the village, beaming.

"I promise, I'll protect the village with everything I have!"

The townspeople's cheers got louder and everyone on the roof looked at Naruto with pride.

_You made it, Naruto._

* * *

A month went quickly, and soon Sakura found herself standing in the Hokage's office. Bored, she shifted her weight to her other hip.

"What am I waiting for again?" She sighed.

Naruto pouted as he eyed the piles of paperwork stacked on his desk. He played with his pen for a bit, then scratched his head. "Maa, I didn't think there'd be this much paperwork..."

Sakura tapped her foot impatiently.

"Right, right. You're going on a mission. I have an extremely important message for you to deliver to Cloud."

Sakura's interest was piqued. "Sasuke?"

"Yeah." Naruto tossed his pen onto the desk, then got up and walked to one of the windows overlooking the village. He leaned against the jamb, crossing his arms. "Since I took office, we haven't heard anything at all about him."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Nothing at all?"

"I know, it concerns me."

Naruto had changed so much in one month. Sakura looked at him and realized he'd truly become a man, and in such a short amount of time... Well, he'd been steadily working toward his goal for his entire life. Sakura smiled. He'd changed, and she hadn't even noticed it. Sakura walked towards him and set a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, no news is good news, right?"

He turned his head to look at her. "I hope you're right. But I don't know..."

Sakura's hand dropped to her side. "You're that worried?"

Naruto nodded and walked back to his desk, taking a seat on a spot that was free of paper. "I want to see if the Raikage has any info on him. Right now, Sasuke is the biggest threat to the village. We've got good relations with Taka and most of the other countries. It's just Rain and a few outliers that I'm worried about, really. But Sasuke alone..." Naruto ran his fingers through his hair. "I wish we had known who the former leader of Rain was. After the war..." He cracked his neck. "I should have killed Tobi." He sounded so disappointed. Sakura leaned against the wall by the window, nodding in silent agreement. "If it was Tobi, then Sasuke may have the Rinnegan." He looked Sakura in the eye. "Of course, this stays between you, me and..."

"Yo."

Sakura pushed off from the wall in surprise. "You're so sneaky!"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and smiled. "Ninja."

"Right." Sakura's lips were pressed together in a thin line. "You know I've been here for almost forty-five minutes?"

"Sorry, sorry. See, I was on my way here when I saw this poster for a marathon showing of all three Icha Icha movies next month, and I couldn't help myself so-"

"Save it." Sakura was obviously in a bad mood.

Kakashi's face darkened momentarily, he had been just outside the window when Naruto had told Sakura about the news, rather the lack of news concerning Sasuke. "Well, no big deal, so what's the mission that you need two special jounin for?"

"I've got a message for you guys to deliver." Naruto pulled the scroll from within his cloak and handed it to Kakashi. "As you heard earlier, there's sensitive information in this scroll. I need you two to deliver it to the Raikage ASAP. It's too quiet. If they have anything on Sasuke at all, I'd like to know about it."

"Hai."

"When is the soonest you two can leave?"

Kakashi looked at Sakura, who nodded. The older jounin looked back at Naruto. "As soon as we grab our packs we can get moving."

Naruto nodded in acceptance. "Okay then, do that. Thanks. See you guys when you get back."

The pair saluted Naruto and fairly ejected from the office to their respective homes. Sakura threw on her ANBU uniform and strapped her mask to her hip, then pulled her pack on. Once again, she filled a coffee cup with water and poured it carefully into the pot where her plant was flourishing. _Really need to get a bigger pot. I'll do it when I get back. _With one last look around the apartment she closed the door and ran toward the village gates. A few moments after she began her run, she heard the tell-tale footsteps of someone running behind her, catching up to her. She let Kakashi pass her by and she followed him through the village gates and into the forest without so much as a glance over her shoulder.

They ran in total silence for nearly four hours. Sakura couldn't help but feel proud of herself. She had fully recovered from her injury, and it was only the beginning of October. It had been nine months since that first mission, and she was glad to say that with the exception of Sai, no one had died under her care, in the hospital nor in the field. She'd done well.

Kakashi jumped down from the branch in front of her and she followed him down.

"Four more hours to the border with Hot Water, then another day and a half of running to Kumo. You ok?"

Sakura finished her water bottle and nodded, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. "Yeah, I'm great. Ready to run."

"Okay, we'll take a meal break here, thirty minutes, then run for another four hours?"

Sakura nodded, already piling sticks together for a fire. Soon they were sitting next to the fire and stretching their legs while eating their ramen. Sakura rinsed the few dishes they carried with another bottle of water and stowed them while Kakashi checked the map and the scroll. "You can set the pace for the next run." As soon as they'd shouldered their packs and put out the fire, Sakura jumped back up into the trees and led the way.

_I'm glad things between Kakashi and I have calmed down. Time really does heal all, I guess._ She thought back to their recent mission in Taka with Naruto, and suddenly remembered his face. _He really is good-looking. Doesn't look much older than me, really, I'd say he looks about thirty, thirty-two. _She blinked. _He still goes on these crazy missions with us kids too. He is in really great shape._ Sakura ran on for awhile longer, not thinking about anything in particular. Running was relaxing to her, and it brought her a peace of mind that few other activities did. Between her high-stress job in the trauma ward at Konoha Hospital and the demanding ANBU missions she went on periodically, she found solace in running.

But Inner Sakura was still in there somewhere.

Out of nowhere, she heard the voice in her head speak._** "So do you think there was more to the whole mask thing? The yogurt thing?" **_

Sakura's expression didn't change as she conversed with herself. _I don't know. I mean, Kakashi is obviously comfortable hanging out with me, but do you really think he'd look at me like that? He said it himself, he's way too old for me. _

"_**And what about Ino and Genma?"** _

_That's a special case._

"_**Really, now?"**_

Inner Sakura didn't push her any further, but Sakura couldn't help but think about it now. _And how do I feel about Kakashi, even if he is attracted to me? …It's probably just a physical thing. He thinks I'm cute. I'm young. He's not the first guy to think of me like that. And me... I like Kakashi. I trust Kakashi._

Her feet tapped quietly on each branch as she leapt through the treetops.

_He's handsome, there's no doubt about it. He's got a great body. But attraction, love even?_

Her mind was a quiet place for a little longer.

_I don't even know what love is._

"_**But would you give it a chance?"**_

Sakura wasted some time intentionally ignoring Inner Sakura; checking on her chakra reserves, methodically remembering everything she'd packed for the mission, recalling the details of her apartment's layout and where she'd placed traps and where the silverware and the baking pans were organized.

_I don't know._

Sakura chewed on her lower lip briefly.

_Why am I even thinking about this?_

With no little effort, she shifted her focus back to the mission, back to their surroundings and the life the forest teemed with, routinely checking for traps and genjutsu in their path.

* * *

Sakura jumped down from her branch as soon as she saw the tracks left by the border patrol. Kakashi was right behind her.

"I'll go get some water." Kakashi left and returned within five minutes with the water, which he poured into the waiting pot that Sakura had readied. He lit the fire, then he sat down next to her and started to stretch.

"It's pretty warm for fall."

Sakura nodded, reaching for her toes and bowing her head to her knees.

"But you brought a cloak, right?"

"Yeah, we're going to Cloud after all." Her voice was muffled thanks to her position. Sakura leaned back and strectched her side and back muscles, hooking one leg over the other and twisting her torso in the opposite direction. A few minutes went by and Sakura dropped the ramen packages into the pot as soon as the water came to a boil.

Kakashi pulled his mask down around his neck.

Sakura looked over her shoulder at the small rustling noise, and her mouth opened in surprise. "Again?"

"What?" This time Kakashi didn't smile, but he wasn't frowning either.

Sakura looked back to the ramen in the pot and stirred it briefly.

"You know, you don't look thirty-seven."

"Really? I don't get that compliment often."

She stole another glance at him. He looked fairly relaxed, he was doing neck circles. Kakashi stopped what he was doing and sent her an extra droopy-eyed look. "What with the grey hair and all. Thanks."

Sakura looked back to the ramen. "It's silver." She murmured.

A few seconds went by. "That it is." Kakashi spoke just as softly.

Sakura served up the ramen and took her seat next to her former teacher.

"You've got a weird tan line."

Kakashi chuckled quietly. "Yeah, I know."

"But you don't look too much like your dad." Sakura covered her mouth immediately after the comment slipped out. "Sorry." She spoke from under her hand.

Kakashi looked a little sad now. "It's okay. I've got my mom's chin." He absentmindedly stroked said chin. "But my nose is his. And if I worry too much I'm sure I'll get more lines under my eyes." He smiled at Sakura and she couldn't help but smile back, the bittersweet look on his face was so charming.

"I don't think so." Sakura grinned. "Your crows' feet will just get deeper."

"Ah, but those aren't from worrying." He hung his head and shook it, still smiling softly. "They're from smiling." He turned his head and grinned lopsidedly at her, boyishly, and the familiar eye-crinkle showed itself. Sakura had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. "Well, at least I finally get the full effect." She giggled.

"Yeah." He agreed, his grin slowly fading. "You want to take the first watch?"

Sakura nodded. "You get up earlier than me anyway."

Kakashi stood and unstrapped his bedroll, spreading it across the ground near the fire. "Wake me up if you need anything."

Now that she could see his whole face she could see the faint concern that showed itself. _**"So that's why he wears the mask!"**_ Inner Sakura pumped her fist up and down victoriously.

"No problem." Sakura picked up a stick and poked at the fire. "Goodnight, Kakashi." She saw a trace of a smile on his face as he pulled his mask back up.

"Goodnight, Sakura."

* * *

Kakashi took a deep breath as he settled down to sleep, and he drifted off with a contented smile on his face.

_The brook at his feet swirled and babbled lazily, the water was clear and cool. Kakashi sat at the bank, barefoot, resting his unclothed chin against his knees. A gentle breeze ruffled his hair. Still he sat, watching the fish swim by slowly._

"_Kakashi!"_

_He looked over his shoulder and smiled._

"_You came!"_

"_Of course, silly!" Sakura pushed him playfully. She was wearing a white and purple two-piece bathing suit, the kind with a little skirt attatched. She smiled at him happily, as though she didn't have a care in the world. "Come on, let's swim! I want to cool off!" Her shoulders and face shone with a thin sheen of sweat._

_Kakashi didn't say anything but he removed his shirt and set it down by the towels she had brought, following her into the water._

"_Ooh, it's cold!" Sakura rubbed her arms. "Brr!"_

_Kakashi walked through the shallow water toward her and put his arms around her, pulling her close to his body. "Better?" He murmured into her sweet-smelling hair. He felt her nod against his chest._

_Sakura looked up into his eyes. "But we're here to swim! If we swim we'll get warm too!" She gave him a peck on the lips and pushed away, jumping into the water with her whole body and swimming away, toward the waterfall._

_Kakashi smirked after her and followed suit, staying just behind her. They surfaced near the waterfall. Sakura was gasping a little. "Woo!" She cried. "Still cold!" She laughed out loud, the sound ringing pleasantly in Kakashi's ears. Sakura splashed him, puckish now, and he grinned. "Two can play that game, Sakura!"_

_Sakura yelled as he tackled her there in the water and they wrestled for a while, Kakashi pulling her toward the waterfall. They came up again behind the wall of water and Sakura suddenly looked shy, her face ruddy and wet from a combination of their struggle in the water and the cold. Kakashi slowly tread the water in between them until he'd closed the distance, then put a hand on her waist under her bathing suit top. His other hand moved the wet tendrils of hair from her face and slid around the back of her neck._

_The kiss started out gentle and sweet, he felt her cool lips caress his as he closed his eyes. He took her lower lip in between his and gently nipped at it. Sakura responded by pressing her face closer to his and running her tongue across those teeth. With another small smile, Kakashi opened his mouth to allow her entry, and locked his lips with hers, kissing her back passionately now as his hand moved up her side..._

"_Mm, Kakashi..." She moaned in between kisses._

"_Sakura..."_

"_Kakashi."_

"Kakashi." Sakura shook him gently awake and he turned to face her, suddenly embarassed. In his half-asleep haze he nearly reached up and pulled her close to him, to re-enact the happy scene in his dream. But he didn't.

"Oh, is it midnight already?"

Sakura nodded, then yawned. "You good?"

Kakashi thanked the stars that he hadn't been talking in his sleep as he became more alert. "Yeah, I'm great. I got this. Get some rest."

"Yeah..." Sakura stretched her arms over her head, popping her back, and as soon as Kakashi got up she took his place in the warm bedroll. "'Night."

"Goodnight, Sakura." Kakashi sat by the dying fire and threw a couple more sticks onto it.

_Sakura..._

* * *

The rest of the run to Cloud was uneventful, boring even. They weren't attacked or slowed down. The weather got progressively colder as they trekked northwards, but that was what cloaks were for. As they approached the Hidden Cloud village, the sentries recognized them and waved them through the gates and into the village.

"It sure has been awhile..." Sakura muttered. "Place looks different. Bigger."

There were definitely more people there than there had been the last time they'd visited, the village felt busier.

"Yeah." Kakashi agreed.

The pair made straight for the Raikage's headquarters, checking in at the desk and removing their masks.

Kakashi introduced them, "Hatake Kakashi and Sakura Haruno, here with an important delivery from Konoha."

The receptionist nodded after looking their paperwork over and sent them up the stairs. "He's not busy."

"Thanks." He took their passports from the woman and handed Sakura hers as they walked up the stairs. Kakashi knocked on the door and they heard the Raikage's assistant call back, asking them to enter.

"Raikage-sama." Kakashi and Sakura bowed to him. The Raikage turned from the window.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Message from the Hokage." Kakashi procured the scroll and gave it to the Raikage's assistant, who handed it off to the Raikage. With the same frown he usually wore, he tore the seal open and read it. His frown deepened and his eyes flashed with hatred. He grunted, then addressed the Konoha ninja in his gravelly voice.

"You know what's in here?"

Kakashi nodded curtly.

"Well I haven't heard anything about the brat. If I had, he'd be dead." The Raikage rolled the scroll back up and placed it on his desk. "If what this says is true, then your village is in for a world of hurt." The Raikage narrowed his eyes at the pair. "Your Hokage is too soft. It's his job to handle this."

Sakura and Kakashi were silent.

The Raikage walked around his desk and sat down, placing his one hand on its flat surface. "If I had things my way, I would destroy the Uchiha. But he's beyond powerful, no one person can take him on alone. His face hardened, his expression severe. "Though we are your allies I will not send my shinobi to certain death for the sake of your village. If that punk attacks your village it will be destroyed, the same as before, and everyone in it will die as well."

Sakura's heart clenched at his words and she bit her lip to keep from lashing out at the Cloud village's leader.

"There won't be anything we can do to help."

Sakura couldn't take it. "If we all get together and fight as a team, we can kill Sasuke. There's-"

"Sakura." Kakashi stopped her mid-sentence, his voice harsh but quiet.

The Raikage stood again. "Hatake is correct. You were there when we fought Madara's Edo Tensei, were you not, girl?"

Sakura frowned, taken aback. "Yes. Yes, I was." She realized what he was talking about. _But Sasuke..._

No. That had been Naruto's way of thinking. And look where they were now because of it. Suddenly Sakura felt hot, angry and upset, and she screwed her eyes shut to fight the tears that threatened to fall.

_Damn it. Damn you, Sasuke._

"Rest here for today. You're welcome in my village. But I have nothing more to offer you."

Sakura composed herself. "Thank you, Raikage-sama." She echoed Kakashi.

* * *

Sasuke smiled through the darkness. He could feel the power surging behind his eyes, tempting him, overwhelming. He reached up and ran his fingers over the bandages gently. _It's time._ He stood as he unwrapped the strips of cloth from around his head, dropping them behind him as he walked out onto the ledge, into the rain. Finally he allowed the chakra to flow into his eyes and he grinned maliciously as a feeling of complete dominance overtook him. He opened them and looked up into the sky, extending his hand, and with a thought he controlled the rain. He felt every presence in the village, every animal and plant and person. A commanding urge to destroy something flowed through him and he clenched his fist and opened his hand, looking at it as though seeing it for the first time.

_It's over._

Sasuke flipped a kunai out of the holster at his side and made a shallow cut in his thumb. He slid the kunai back into the holster, then wiped the blood on the palm of his hand.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Sasuke slammed his hand onto the ground and the coffin of his summon rose before him, opening with a creak, and Kabuto stepped out.

"My lord?" Kabuto smiled wickedly. "Ah." He acknowledged Sasuke's healing progress.

"These eyes are ready to use, aren't they? I can feel it."

Kabuto neared Sasuke and put a hand over the Uchiha's face. "Yes. Your vengeance is nearly complete. What would you have me do?" He lowered his hand to his side and bowed his head slightly.

Sasuke's lip curled upward in a feral grin and he chuckled, a deep, low rumbling sound escaping him. His eyes seemed to glow with the force of his intentions and the hate that radiated from him was almost palpable.

"Gather the troops."


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I precede this chapter with an important Author's note. I am crazy, and so I have updated two chapters in one day. So if you did not read Chapter 10 _Eye of Fortune, Eye of Misfortune (Part I)_, please go back a chapter and read it. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused. The next chapter will be posted on Tuesday, July 3.**

**Chapter 11**

_Eye of Fortune, Eye of Misfortune (Part II)_

Kakashi couldn't sleep.

This was unusual for him, but he felt like something was squirming around in his gut, something somewhere was amiss. He thought that maybe it was Sakura-related, but not likely. No, this was a comrade-in-trouble gut squirm. He was upset, but there was nothing to be done about it. In the middle of the village hidden in the clouds there were no sparring partners, no ninja he could really **trust**, and there was no way to make sure that everyone was okay. Even if he sent Pakkun, the dog would get to Konoha just hours before he and Sakura did. And what good would that do him? Maybe it had nothing to do with Konoha. Maybe it **was** Sakura related. Right on cue, he heard her soft footsteps on the roof tiles behind him.

"Kakashi, you alright?" She whispered as she sat next to him. "It's cold out here. I brought you your cloak." She threw it over his shoulder. "You look lonely."

"Mm."

A few moments of silence passed, and since Kakashi wasn't talking, Sakura broached the topic she thought most likely culpable for Kakashi's mood swing.

"Sasuke?" She murmured.

Kakashi glanced sidelong at her, then returned to his moping. That was answer enough for Sakura.

"Do you really think he would...?" Sakura felt so small in that moment.

"Ah." Kakashi nodded.

"But Naruto will..."

Kakashi sighed deeply.

Several more minutes went by and they just sat there, side by side, looking at the stars together.

"Hey, Sakura."

"Un?"

Kakashi took a deep breath and steeled himself for what he was about to ask her.

"Do you still... do you still have feelings for Sasuke?" The question hung heavily in the air between them. Kakashi tapped his fingers on his bent knee nervously.

It was almost as though he'd thrown a black cloth over Sakura, she suddenly seemed so unreachable, so despondent. Her head hung down, face hidden by her hair. Kakashi ran his fingers awkwardly through his own.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"No. No, it's alright."

Kakashi could tell that her teeth were clenched. He waited with bated breath.

"No. I thought I might still have love for him locked somewhere inside of me once. That love... that ended long ago. Those feelings are gone." She whispered. "After he tried to kill me, you, Naruto... After his more recent actions... After Sai..." Her voice broke as she said her friend's name. "There's nothing there anymore. Just a black hole. It was burned out of me." He could barely make out her pained declaration.

Kakashi's eyes widened at her words. He never suspected she'd been so deeply injured by  
Sasuke's actions. He'd assumed the love would have smouldered there, lingering, ready to flame back up at any moment. Or that it would have dissapeared altogether with time, as his love for Rin had. Granted, he still loved her in a way, but it was different. She was gone, and she had only ever been his friend. He recognized this now. What he felt for Sakura was **love**. What he had felt for Rin had been a deep sense of friendship and comraderie as well as love that only siblings or close friends such as they could share.

"I want to kill him." Sakura said suddenly. "I want to tear his eyes right out of his face." Her breathing quickened. "But I'm the weakest of all of you. I'm no match for him. I'm useless." She held her head in her hands, gripping her hair tightly. "I hate this."

"You're not weak." Kakashi responded immediately. "Hey, you're not weak." He grabbed her wrist and tugged it toward him. "Without you, I'd be dead. Many others would be too. Don't tell yourself crap like that. You are needed, wanted and..." He stopped himself just in time. "Trust me, Sakura. You are **so far** from useless. You are **so strong**. Strong where it counts, in your mind and in your heart. And I don't know many people that can level a training ground besides myself and Tenzou."

Sakura looked surprised. "You're right." She conceded as he released her wrist, "I guess I don't suck. Sorry. Just feeling down, you know?"

"Yeah, me too." He admitted.

_I have to tell her._

_I'm going to tell her._

_Before this mission is over._

He glanced at Sakura again.

_I promise._

* * *

Kakashi and Sakura were running through the cold, quiet forest of Hot Water back towards Konoha. One more day of travel and they'd be home, they'd camp as soon as they crossed the border, then they'd just have another eight-hours' worth of ground to cover before they got to Konoha. Kakashi felt much better, relieved even, after his talk with Sakura the night before. Both of them had slept soundly after their heart-to-heart. Even though they'd started out a little late, it was alright. Kakashi felt that they had resolved something, though what it was he couldn't put his finger on it quite yet, and Sakura seemed even closer to him somehow. He couldn't stop thinking about her, it was unusual for him (especially on an important mission like this one), but in essence the mission had been completed and they were returning to Konoha empty-handed.

But with Kakashi's luck, things wouldn't be that easy. No.

The pair stopped abruptly and jumped down to the ground as the four ninja surrounded them.

_Missing-nin._

"Two Konoha ANBU, huh?" One nin twirled a kunai around his finger lazily and smirked, faking an interested look on his tanned face. "Let's see, you'll both be in the bingo book then, and fetch a nice, hefty bounty... The copy-nin and the Hokage's apprentice I assume?"

Neither masked nin said anything in response.

"No need to clarify really, with hair like **that**..." The stranger laughed. "Really it goes for both of you. Why do you even bother with the masks?" He caught the kunai in his grip, knuckles tightening. "Well, allow me to introduce us. We should at least exchange names, after all, you should know your killers." He grinned toothily. "I'm Tomo, these guys are Ao, Takeshi, and Shinji."

"Formation A. We'll take these guys out together." Kakashi muttered, barely audible, but Kakashi saw her hair move out of the corner of his eye and knew she'd heard him. _Damn, distractions, distractions... Damn I'm stupid. For how long have they been following us?_

The four ninja slowly began to circle Kakashi and Sakura. "Well, we are going to collect the bounty on your heads, and not only that I'm going to sell that sharingan of yours for a load of money. And I see you, like a couple of scared, trapped rabbits, trying to plan a way out of this. Not going to happen." He chortled haughtily. "We're ex-cloud ANBU. So you guys don't stand a chance."

All four ninja attacked at once, two to a leaf-nin, and Sakura's first move was to break up the ground beneath them and throw them into confusion. Kakashi anticipated her move and as soon as she made her move he leapt from dirt clod to dirt clod. Within seconds his chidori was alight and he ran the biggest nin through easily with the technique. With a _poof_ the enemy disappeared. _When did they have time for shadow clones?_ Kakashi instinctively struck out behind him with a spinning kick, drawing his ninjato and following through with a deadly slash through the throat of the slower ninja. The hit was good, a torrent of blood gushed from Takeshi's neck. He glanced over to check on Sakura who seemed to be holding her own against the smaller, faster nin, Shinji as well as the lanky masked one, Ao.

"Can't really afford to be checking on your girl, can you?"

Kakashi turned and held up his arm to block just as Tomo's sword neared him, and his metal guard stopped the blow from connecting. But as soon as the sword hit, Tomo swung it upwards and around toward Kakashi's middle in a circular, sweeping motion. "Let me hit you once and you won't escape the second." Tomo smirked darkly. Kakashi struggled to block the incoming slash with his ninjato, but the enemy's sword was strong and Kakashi's short sword broke under the force of the blow. _Shimatta! _He cursed as the blade touched his side. His vest was cut through instantly and he felt the pain and the chill of his blood wetting his shirt. He leapt away before any more damage could be done, but he was seriously injured. Kakashi grabbed his side instinctively, trying to hold it together. He didn't know how deep he'd been cut, but the blood was running through his fingers already. He felt faint and sluggish as he watched Tomo run towards him, blade in hand, a huge smile on his face. Kakashi lifted his headband as a last resort and as Tomo made eye contact, Kakashi pulled him into a genjutsu that would buy him some time. Kakashi stumbled over to the enemy and knelt by him, pulling a kunai from his pouch.

"You were fast. But not fast enough."

Kakashi plunged the kunai into the man's throat and watched as the life left him. Satisfied and exhausted, Kakashi scooted away from him and sat down, cradling his side and finally taking the time to look at it.

_And there's my guts. Oh, this is a bad one._ Kakashi quickly replaced his hand over the wound and leant toward that side, trying to help hold it closed with his body's position. He could hear Sakura still fighting, but from the sound of it she was only fighting one, the other was already down.

_Good for you._ The thought was hazy. _Good... Sakura... good._ His eyes drooped closed as he heard the final clashes of metal on metal and the gurgle of blood in the last nin's throat. _Good._

"Kakashi!" He could hear her running to him, but he couldn't see her... right, his eyes were closed... how did he end up on the ground?

"Kuso!" He felt her warm chakra washing over his side. "Dammit!" He felt her fingers painfully pushing the wound closed, and he could hear the panic in her voice. "Kakashi stay awake. I know you're awake."

"Ah." He managed weakly, his response barely more than a mere exhalation of breath.

"Good, good. Okay." She had been calmed somewhat by his response. "Okay, first aid and then I'm carrying you. It's not safe here. That's the plan, okay?"

Kakashi tried to nod.

"Eat this please. Come on, I know you can."

Kakashi felt the little ball as she pushed it into his mouth. "Bite down. Bite it." He made a strong effort and was rewarded as the metallic taste filled his mouth. "Good, good."

Kakashi felt a little better, and he felt Sakura's fingertips leave his wound, she no longer had to pinch it closed. Now her hands just rested on his side, so warm.

"You're going to be okay. We're almost done. You're not bleeding inside anymore so that's good. And outside is pretty much closed. I'll really button you up in Fire. Let's go, Kakashi, let's move. Slowly, now." Sakura helped him up and he opened his eyes. She smiled at him reassuringly. "You're doing great. I'm going to pick you up now, okay?" Kakashi nodded, he realized he had been clenching his teeth through the pain... The pain was still there, though. As soon as her chakra had left him it had returned.

"It hurts, doesn't it? But I know you don't want the drugs."

Kakashi shook his head. _No drugs._

"Up you go." She bent at the knees and although he felt embarassed to do it, he slung himself weakly over her back and Sakura hooked her arms under his knees, hiking him up higher onto her back. "Hold your own hand. Hold on tight, so I know you're still with me."

"Nngh." Kakashi grunted.

"There you go." Sakura whispered, and she took off running. _I'm going to use a bunch of my chakra running, but it's so worth it. _Sakura frowned._ I hate to use it, but I can take a chakra pill. If I have to._

Sakura ran and ran, paranoid. Every second she felt someone's eyes on her, she thought she heard voices or noises. _One more hour. One more hour..._ It was getting dark and the shadows of the forest just darkened and lengthened. Sakura ran frantically now, nearly sprinting in her state of borderline-panic. _Definitely going to need that chakra pill. _She was breathing heavily and her heart was pounding in her chest. Finally she crossed the border and a little ways in, she stopped.

"You still with me?" She panted. A gentle squeeze from Kakashi's hand was all she got. "Great." She breathed, letting him down gently, then helping him onto his back. "Give me just a second." Sakura started a fire and put the water that remained in her and Kakashi's canteens combined to boil. She then rolled out their pallet and carefully moved Kakashi onto it. Sakura turned her back to him, pretending to check the water and she swallowed the chakra pill. Immediately her chakra pathways were on fire and her gut burned, but she reminded herself that it was nothing compared to the pain she'd be feeling if Kakashi lost his life while it was still in her power to help him keep it.

"The water isn't ready. I'm going to start healing you some more." She brought her hands to his side again and started meticulously mending the hole that had been slashed in the delicate webbing that held his guts together, and the muscles that knitted together along his side. Sakura's brow furrowed through her pain and she bit her lip until she tasted blood, fighting through the terrible pain in her hands. _It's nothing, it's nothing._ Kakashi felt progressively better and more concsious, though tired. He looked up at her and saw the intense look on her face. _What's wrong?_ Kakashi opened his sharingan eye, now that he was thinking clearly, he had a sneaking suspicion...

"Sakura, why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Her response was clipped.

"Baka." He whispered.

"I won't let you die. I won't leave you behind." Sakura glanced at his face and then back to her work. "This is my ninja way."

Kakashi didn't fight her. In fact, he was thankful for her. _You're not useless... Don't ever say that again, Sakura._

A few minutes later she pulled her hands away. "It's as good as it's going to get with chakra. You should be back at 100% in about three to five days. You'll be okay to run after you've rested for the night and eaten something. We'll take it easy on the way back." _Not just for you, but for me too._ Sakura leaned back and sat on her backside, exhausted. She wiped her forehead off and sighed. _Thank Kami you're alright._ Sakura threw a couple of packets of ramen into the water and turned back to him.

"Think you can sit up for a couple more minutes?"

"Yeah." Kakashi croaked. "I'm kind of thirsty."

Sakura nodded. "Be right back."

After she left, Kakashi knew he had only a few moments to work out something... some sort of strategy, some sweet words to tell her how much she meant to him, to convey his feelings to her. Those few moments... they weren't enough. But it was time. Now.

Kakashi took the canteen from her gratefully and lowered his mask, gulping the water greedily. He took his time screwing the cap back on and setting it down next to him. _It's now or never..._

"Sakura. We need to talk." He spoke softly.

Sakura spoke as she served the ramen. "About what?" She turned and handed him his plate.

Kakashi sighed. "Let's eat first."

"Okay."

She was exhausted, he could tell. But he felt that it was the right time. The tension in his belly only increased as the minutes wore on, but mentally he prepared himself, though he still didn't know what to say. As soon as Sakura set her bowl aside and swallowed her last bite, he began anew.

"Sakura. I need to tell you something."

"If it's about the chakra pill, save it." She sighed.

_She really has no idea._

"No, Sakura, it's not that."

Sakura looked at him, really analyzing his facial expression now. He felt a little embarassed as his mask was still down, but no, he had to get past this.

"Sakura, I want you to know that I care about you. That you matter to me, that you're special to me. I feel like... I don't feel the same around you as I do around other people. I can't really explain it, the only way I can tell you... The only way for you to know how I feel..." Kakashi smiled softly now, suddenly confident, the words suddenly clear in his mind. "I love you." He continued to smile at her, the fire's glow gently illuminating his face, and Sakura could see the sincerity in every word he said. All the same, she was shocked.

"Kakashi..." She breathed.

He leaned toward her. "If you don't have feelings for me yet, I understand. I know... I know you've been hurt. So have I. I just... I want us to be happy. I know we can be happy together. Because of that love that I feel for you." He looked her in the eyes, serious now. "Please give me a chance."

Sakura's mouth opened and closed. "Uh... wow." She closed her eyes and sighed, shoulders slumping. "I don't understand. I – how is this possible?"

Kakashi remained silent. He still felt hope in his heart, but it was faint, it was slowly going out like the flame of a candle under a jar. Sakura opened her eyes and saw that reflected in his.

"Look." She moved closer to him, taking his hand in hers. "Kakashi, I've never even thought about anyone since Sasuke. I'm being honest with you. Hasn't even crossed my mind. Neji asked me a few years ago if I'd go out with him, but I rejected him. And you..." She bit her lip again. "You're not asking me out. You're saying you... love me." She sounded disbelieving. "Give me some time to process that, please. Don't lose hope, I'm not upset or anything," she clarified quickly, "I just don't know how to react. But I'm not saying 'no', okay?"

Kakashi put his hand over hers and squeezed. "Alright." The glow came back to his eyes and he smiled again. "Take your time, Sakura. Take your time."

Sakura smiled back, a warm feeling filling her heart. "Thank you so much. Thanks for understanding." Sakura moved closer to him and embraced him gently, mindful of his recent injury. Kakashi hugged her back.

"It doesn't hurt. You did a good job. Thanks."

Sakura smiled and nodded as they pulled apart. _This explains a lot. But... I feel... happy..._

* * *

Sasuke stood on top of Minato's head on the Hokages' monument, surveying the village. It was getting close to evening time, children were leaving the academy, shops were closing and the air was filled with the scents of different foods cooking as families settled down for dinner. Sasuke's eyes narrowed with contempt as he looked down on the village full of people.

_Pathetic._

To him, they were like so many insects that could be crushed at will. They were unsuspecting, unaware, and unprepared.

Sasuke smiled slightly.

But who could prepare for this?

With a great leap, he planted his feet on top of the Hokage's tower and two ANBU immediately jumped him, but he sliced through them easily, silently with Kusanagi. They hadn't lasted a second. And neither would anyone else.

Sasuke jumped down onto one of the window ledges in the Hokage's office. With a solemn face, he looked over his shoulder, meeting Naruto's eyes with his Rinnegan. Naruto jumped up from his seat with a cry of "Sasuke!". Confident that the blonde would not interfere, Sasuke looked out toward the village and extended his hand slowly, his smile widening into another evil, self-satisfied grin.

His eyes flashed in the sunset as he uttered the words that would destroy the village.

"**Shinra Tensei!"**

"Nooooooo!" Naruto ran to Sasuke, knocking him off of the ledge but it was too late, with the Hokage tower at the epicenter of the attack, a huge wave of energy blasted across the village, demolishing everything in its path and reducing it to rubble in seconds.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, throwing punches and kicks mercilessly into the Uchiha. Sasuke merely shielded himself with his Susano'o, smiling from within his defensive barrier.

Naruto paused and jumped back into the rubble, taking a moment to try and strategize. There were few people left alive in the village, he saw them moving here and there, but then he realized that all along the wall, Sasuke had positioned an army of soldiers.

"Teme!" He screamed, but it did no good. Sasuke's Susano'o flared, suddenly enormous and the soldiers jumped down from the wall that surrounded the village into the rubble, presumably to annihilate any survivors of the Shinra Tensei.

"Naruto. Do you know what this is?" Sasuke smiled. Naruto just stared at him, face grim. "This is the ultimate form of the Susano'o. This... this is your doom."

Naruto shook his head. "If I can't defend the village, then I'll avenge it. And... this is **your** doom."

A strong chakra began to fill the area, so full of hatred and anger that some of Sasuke's mercenary soldiers turned and fled from the battlefield, but Sasuke merely stood and waited. With a final cry, Naruto transformed and it was not the form of his childhood friend that Sasuke stood against, but the Nine-tailed Fox Demon himself. The Demon Fox growled at Sasuke and instantly began to create a bijuu bomb of massive proportions, but Sasuke laughed, his voice ringing out through what was left of the village.

"This is your ultimate form? This is what you plan to defeat me with? Something so puny and tiny?" Sasuke laughed now, the sound was terrifying and cold. "You are nothing. Just as Madara stood before the Fox Demon ninety years ago, I stand here now. And **I will subdue you**!"

As Naruto launched the bijuu bomb at Sasuke, Sasuke's Susano'o swung with his sword, batting it away like a moth, and creating a canyon in the wake of his sword's slash.

"**You don't stand a chance!"** Sasuke screamed at Naruto, who barely managed to dodge the blow. Sasuke followed the sword's motion with a swift arrow aimed straight for the Kyuubi, but Naruto dodged it easily. And so the battle raged on.

* * *

They knew something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

And then, from a distance, they saw the massive form of Madara's ultimate Susano'o appear, right where the village should have been. The only possible thing that could have signified a worse situation appeared moments later, along with a wave of hateful chakra.

Naruto had gone Kyuubi.

Yet Kakashi and Sakura kept on running toward the village.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading and I apologize profusely for this insane cliffhanger. Dx OMG WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? Lol. But really, there will be an update soon and you will find out how arc one ends! Please review and thank you for all of your reviews up to now! Hope you enjoyed the double update!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_Vengeful Deuce_

_Chakra._

Naruto knew that somehow, that was the key to winning this fight. If there was someone who could stand by him, someone he could work with, maybe they could form a team and fight Sasuke together, but from the looks of it there was no one. Naruto glanced around and the Kyuubi howled, while Sasuke laughed. Tobi had mentioned something about the Uzumaki clan and special chakra, his mom had even said something about it. And Pein had had the Rinnegan last, though it was true that Tobi had given it to him in the first place. There had to be some sort of connection. _Last time I saw Sasuke in Susano'o form he couldn't maintain it for very long._ Sasuke's chakra pool didn't even approach Naruto's. And despite calling himself a sage it was apparent that Sasuke was, in fact, **not** a sage.

Naruto stayed in Nine-tails mode, firing bijuu bombs at Sasuke and dodging his arrows. Within a few minutes, Sasuke was breathing hard at the base of his Susano'o. Sasuke gripped his face with a stifled grunt and blood dripped from his eye, cascading across his cheek. His Susano'o flickered; armor disappeared and muscle unwound itself from bone as it transformed back into its diminuitive form.

_Dammit..._ Sasuke winced. _This is taking too much chakra. I need to end this quickly._

Naruto recalled Tsunade smashing through Madara's Susano'o during the war. _I need a pinpointed attack with massive power. If I can expose him, maybe I can destroy him._ Naruto's resolve hardened. _It's over Sasuke. I see now what you've become._ Naruto leapt backwards about thirty meters and recalled his kyuubi form, simultaneously de-summoning one of the clones he continuously kept at Mount Myoboku for an event such as this one. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her moving. His eyes narrowed slightly in surprise.

"Naruto-kun." The words were little more than a whisper, but he could tell she was alright. Naruto kept his gaze trained on Sasuke while he spoke quietly to Hinata.

"Hinata-chan. Can you help me?"

"Of course."

He could hear the determination in that gentle, feminine voice.

"I'm going to break through that armor of his somehow. The moment I do, kill his chakra. Work your way around the village, slowly if you have to. Only you can do this."

"H-hai!"

"If I can get his rinnegan, there is a way for me to bring everyone back. Let's do this together."

"Un." She nodded. Hinata didn't waste any time, moving away and around Sasuke's side slowly, crouching behind the fires and debris. Naruto hoped that the sunset and coming twilight would help increase her level of cover.

Naruto approximated her route and jogged forward and around Sasuke's other side in order to detract attention from Hinata. As he moved he created two clones. Sasuke shot another arrow at Naruto, who was able to dodge it, along with his clones. Naruto broke into a run. He extended a hand behind his back, and one of his clones focused on forming a rasen-shuriken there. _This may cut through that armor. It's gonna be a big one..._ Naruto taunted Sasuke, running around in his bow's range, but dodging the arrows lightly and easily. Sasuke was quickly tiring of his games.

"If you won't come to me, then I'll bring you to me!" Sasuke extended a hand toward Naruto, and at the same time, Naruto saw Hinata crouched behind him, ready to attack. _Perfect._

The huge Rasen-shuriken was ready and Sasuke pulled Naruto toward him.

"Shinra tensei!"

Naruto leapt into the jutsu, concentrating furiously on his target: the base of the Susano'o. He had less than a second; Naruto threw his arm out in front of him and guided the jutsu to the target, where it hit with an enormous force thanks to Sasuke's inadverdently pulling it toward himself. Sasuke shielded his face, crossing his arms in front of him, but he was forced backwards as the spinning ball of wind chakra cut through the Susano'o like a grinding wheel. In an instant, the attack had literally formed a hole in Sasuke's armor and as the Shinra Tensei ended, Hinata leapt to Naruto's side and attacked.

"Jukenpo, hakke sanjunisho!" Naruto watched as her slender hands expertly tapped Sasuke's torso through the opening he'd created. Sasuke didn't even see it coming, his hands were still crossed in front of his face. Naruto saw the Uchiha's eyes widen with disbelief from in between his arms as he realized what was happening to his body, and Naruto's skin tingled with adrenaline. _It's time._ The Susano'o disappeared from around Sasuke as he lost the ability to control his chakra. Sasuke grunted and crumpled to the ground, kneeling.

_I could end this now._ Naruto looked at Sasuke, then looked around the battlefield._ There are still people fighting._ The ninja that had survived the Shinra Tensei were occupied fighting Rain ninja now, and in the distance Naruto thought he could see Konohamaru guiding some civilians toward the shelters in the mountains. _If I go Kyuubi now, I'm just going to cause more damage..._ Naruto looked back at Sasuke._ Either way, that won't be necessary._ Naruto picked Sasuke up easily.

"Why are you doing this?"

Naruto punched Sasuke in the face with his Sage mode-enhanced strength and Sasuke flew from Naruto and into a pile of rubble. Sasuke struggled to get to his feet, but his movements were sluggish and before a second had passed Naruto was upon him again, kicking him in the side and sending him flying.

"Are you going to stop?" Naruto charged at Sasuke as the Uchiha stood up, his legs shaking beneath his weight.

"Not until I have my revenge!" Sasuke met Naruto's punch with one of his own, but it just grazed the blonde's face and Sasuke was down again.

_I need my chakra..._ Sasuke winced and wiped the blood from his mouth. _I will crush these bastards!_

Sasuke was slowly regaining his ability to move and as Naruto neared him he dropped his stance and swung his leg out in a sweeping kick. Naruto appeared behind him and punched him in the back, hard. Sasuke flew forward again, but he smiled as he spun in the air. He was heading straight for Hinata. Hinata was ready, though.

"Air palm!" Hinata extended her hand to Sasuke and he was hit head-on by the tremendous force behind her technique. Sasuke cried out as he was sent barreling back in the opposite direction, but he landed on all fours and brought himself to a stop before he reached Naruto. _I'm going to kill her... I'M GOING TO KILL HER!_

Sasuke stood and ran at Hinata, palms at the ready to counter her techniques. Sasuke made it to her and as he engaged her in hand-to-hand combat, he realized that she was not as proficient as he'd assumed. That made things easier. His movement was nearly back to normal now. Sasuke parried her attacks with ease, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Naruto approaching. _Too late. Now!_ With a free hand, Sasuke drew a kunai and tackled Hinata. She hit the ground with a cry and she closed her eyes at the sudden impact. Sasuke swung the kunai across her neck. His expression didn't change as her blood sprayed into his face, but Naruto was horrified.

Sasuke leapt away and stared Naruto down angrily, eyes flashing.

"Hinata!" Naruto called to her, but she didn't move or respond. "Teme!" Naruto jumped toward Sasuke, knowing that in time the effects of Hinata's technique would wear off, and that he needed to make the best of the opportunity that she had given him. He engaged Sasuke in fierce hand-to-hand combat, dodging the Uchiha's sword and shuriken and countering with his own attacks. Naruto threw a kunai wrapped in an exploding tag behind Sasuke, and Sasuke flew forward, knocking Naruto to the ground. They rolled there for a few moments, throwing punches and elbows into each other's faces and torsos. Finally, Naruto threw Sasuke off of him and leapt to his feet. He readied a rasengan, and Sasuke tested his chakra.

_I've got next to nothing..._ every breath was a struggle for him, and he was tired and bloody. _I'm getting my chakra back, but there isn't much left._ _I have maybe two more chidori left after this._ His left hand lit up with the first. Sasuke and Naruto ran at each other and Sasuke saw that Naruto was aiming his rasengan for Sasuke's chidori instead of for his heart, as he should have been.

Sasuke smirked. _Fool. There's nothing left for us to talk about._

Sasuke moved his hand suddenly and plunged it straight into Naruto's heart as the blonde's attack just grazed his side. The rasengan faded abruptly and Naruto slumped over Sasuke's shoulder, limp. Sasuke could feel the blood dribbling from the Hokage's mouth onto his shirt. Suddenly, the Nine-tailed Fox's chakra bubbled up angrily and Sasuke thought to leap away, but it died out as quickly as it had flared up.

Sasuke smiled.

* * *

As they sped through the trees, the smoke only thickened and the eerie orange glow they were approaching continued to brighten. There was no mistake, Konoha was in flames. Sakura and Kakashi paused at the edge of the village. All that remained were piles of rubble. Charred dead bodies littered the ground, shinobi and civilians alike had fallen victim to the calamity. And in the distance stood Sasuke.

Sakura's eyes immediately gushed silent tears as she took in the sight before her. Naruto's head was hanging over Sasuke's shoulder, his arms dangling at his sides. His white Hokage's robe was torn and stained, dripping with blood that was certainly his. And Sasuke was smiling, his face twisted and cruel. Sakura tensed her muscles, ready to leap forward, but Kakashi's hand shot out to stay her. Even in the dim firelight, and despite the cover of his mask, she could see that he was smiling that reassuring, eye-crinkling grin at her over his shoulder.

_Stay here, Sakura._ He didn't have to say the words.

But her eyes called out for **him** to stay.

Embers floated on the smoky breeze as she watched his retreating back. She wanted to call out to him, but she could only look on him from her trance-like state as he approached Sasuke through the ruins of their beloved village. As she watched him go, she remembered the quiet words he'd shared with her in the woods the night before. A vision of his smooth, moonlit face and his shining eyes flashed through her mind.

"_I love you."_

Sakura wiped the tears and ash from her face and ran to join him.

She wouldn't let him die alone.

Sasuke pulled his hand from Naruto's chest and threw the blond to the ground, out of his way. As soon as he saw Kakashi coming, he got ready to fight again. But Kakashi stopped a full three meters away from him.

"Sasuke, before we fight, I have some things to ask you."

Sakura came to a stop right behind Kakashi and he winced. _Damn..._

Sasuke cracked his neck. "Okay, I'll grant you your last wish."

Kakashi ground his teeth together, holding in his anger. "There's something I'd like to know. Let me get this straight."

Sasuke's facial expression changed, now he stared Kakashi down and Sakura could see the hatred and violence burning in him, deep in those red eyes.

"Itachi spent his life fighting for peace within the village, and that is the truth behind the Uchiha massacre. He gave his very life for the village, in hopes that after you had satisfied your lust for revenge, you would return to Konoha and go back to living a normal life. Itachi lived his entire life in pursuit of peace, peace for you and for the village, despite the wrongs he was done. When he was resurrected through the Edo Tensei, you fought alongside him for that same goal. For peace across all shinobi nations. Tell me, Sasuke, why would you go against his wishes like this? Why would you give yourself over so completely to hatred and do something so... evil?"

Sasuke glowered at Kakashi for a moment. Sakura was stunned into silence at the picture that Kakashi had painted of Itachi.

"And you... How do you know that what you're telling me is true?"

"Itachi spoke with Naruto before he went to stop the Edo Tensei during the war." Kakashi kept his answer simple.

Sasuke paused at this new information, but his gaze held steady to Kakashi's masked face. "To be truthful, I spoke with Itachi as well. And regardless of what I do -" Sasuke drew his sword, "I know that there is one bond that cannot be broken, that I refuse to break. The bond of brotherly love that Itachi and I share." Sasuke changed the sword to his left hand and pointed it at Kakashi. "It's because of that bond that I do what I do. I do what Itachi could not do, what he was too soft to do." Sasuke tilted his head and his frown deepened. "I carry out revenge against his tresspassers **for** him." Sasuke started to run toward Kakashi who drew his remaining sword, his washizake. Sakura jumped away from Kakashi and around to Sasuke's back, where she proceeded to attack him to the best of her ability.

Sakura attempted to draw some chakra, and her pathways flared, on fire. "Rggghh!" Sakura yelled through gritted teeth, but her punch connected with Sasuke's shoulder and Kakashi jumped away as Sasuke fell under the blow, slamming into the ground with an incredible force. Sakura leapt backwards a few feet, panting and pale. The attack had taken its toll on her as well. Sasuke looked up through his bangs, chest heaving. A deep pain spread from his right shoulder, through his back and down his arm. He attempted to move his arm – it hung lifeless at his side. _Broken shoulder._ Sasuke reached deep into his chakra reserves and wiped the blood off of his face. _I hope it's enough._ Sasuke laid his palm down onto the broken earth between his knees and drew as much chakra as he could without killing himself.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu." He spoke the words softly.

Sakura stumbled backwards with wide eyes as the coffin rose up from the ground before Sasuke. Kabuto stepped out of the coffin with a small smirk on his face. He looked around, then down to Sasuke, his smirk widening.

"What do you need?"

Sasuke looked up. One of his eyes was screwed shut and he was panting and cradling his shoulder.

"Kill them."

Kabuto looked from him to Sakura and Kakashi, then back to Sasuke.

"Both of them?"

More panting. He was thinking.

_Arrogant as ever, I see._

"We'll kill Kakashi first." Sasuke let his shoulder go and pressed his hand to his knee to steady himself as he stood. "You have any chakra pills on you?"

Kabuto closed his eyes with a smile and reached into his cloak, tossing a pill to Sasuke, who ate it immediately. Sasuke closed his eyes momentarily, and when he opened them, his sharingan was back up. He tucked his arm into his shirt. "Let's go."

Kabuto turned to face Kakashi and extended his hand to the copy-nin, and a mass of snakes attacked him. Kakashi hacked through the serpents with his sword, wary of their poisonous fangs. Suddenly a larger snake came through the twisting mass, its huge pink mouth gaping, and Kakashi had to twist his body and flip over backwards, then run away while slashing at it with his sword in order to evade its bite. Sasuke took the opportunity to attack Kakashi from behind with his sword.

"Not a chance!" Sakura had followed him to Kakashi's back. She distracted him with a punch that he was forced to avoid, then she drew a kunai and dropped her stance.

"You're annoying." He spat, brows drawing together.

"You have no idea." Sakura smirked at him despite the pain that was still radiating through her body from her attempt to form chakra. She ran at him, ducking as he swung his sword at her, then parrying another slash away from her body with her kunai. She crouched low and aimed a kick upwards and into his gut. She rolled forward instinctively as he disappeared, she knew he'd be using the body flicker technique to get behind her and she wasn't disappointed. Sakura quickly drew a senbon and flung it at him as he closed in on her, but he didn't even flinch, though it was dripping with paralyzing poison.

"I'm immune." He struck out again with his sword and she leaned back onto her hands. The slash barely missed her, cutting only a few loose strands of her hair. As he followed through, she did a backflip and put some distance in between herself and her opponent. Sakura drew a handful of senbon this time. "Really?" With a practiced hand she threw them at him, but she was disappointed to hear the clang of metal on metal as he blocked them expertly with his sword. Sasuke sheathed his Kusanagi and closed the space between them, engaging her in close-quarters combat. He drove her back, and though she was successfully able to parry and dodge the majority of his attacks, he was wearing her down. Sakura drew a little chakra to her fist despite the pain it caused her, and at her earliest opportunity she threw her punch at his face. Sasuke turned and grabbed her wrist, using the force she threw into her punch to propel her over his shoulder and across the battlefield. Kabuto jumped out of the way as she shot between him and Kakashi, and Sakura slammed into the broken remnant of a wall that still stood behind the two.

"Sakura!" Kakashi turned his head to look at her. She didn't move. "Dammit!" Kakashi's hands closed into tight fists and he turned back to Kabuto, who had not moved at all. Sasuke, however, had gotten behind him in that time.

"Too slow." Sasuke's left hand was already glowing with chakra. The sound of a thousand chirping birds filled the air as he plunged his hand into Kakashi's back. A strangled cry escaped Kakashi, and he gripped and twisted his shirt at his gut. Blood soaked his mask as it ran freely from his mouth. Sasuke pulled his hand from his ex-sensei's back, and Kakashi fell forward to the ground, unmoving. Sasuke glanced at Sakura who still lay in the rubble where he had thrown her. He turned his back to Kabuto and they began to walk away.

"Looks like there aren't many shinobi left."

_On either side._ Sasuke cradled his right elbow in his hand, supporting his broken limb. "It doesn't matter. The destruction of Konoha is complete. They will not rebuild. My vengeance here is done." The two shinobi walked away through the burning mess that Sasuke had created.

_Just a... little... more..._ Kakashi was still alive. Barely, but he was alive. _One more... For Konoha..._ A clear vision of his father's reassuring face appeared in his mind, then a replay of Sakura being thrown past him and into the wall invaded his mind's eye. He felt the rage building, but it was weak. _I'll do what I can, Sakura-chan..._ Kakashi opened his eye, the eye Obito had given him, and he looked at Sasuke. _One last time, Obito._ Kakashi poured the last of his chakra into his technique, and (albeit slower than usual) the swirling vortex that his mangekyou sharingan was famous for appeared.

Sasuke stopped as he felt the pull from behind, and he struggled in the opposite direction. Sasuke looked over his shoulder and saw the vortex, saw Kakashi's open eye.

"Kuso!" Sasuke cussed as he neared the time-space jutsu; despite his efforts the portal was pulling him towards it, dragging him in. Sasuke looked up once more and saw Sakura weakly attempting to get up. _I'll end this here. I'll sacrifice her to the portal instead._ Sasuke extended his hand carefully but quickly, and drew as much chakra as he dared to his eyes. He stopped when he could see Sakura in between his open fingers. "Shinra Tensei!"

Sakura cried out as she was jerked from her spot. She flew through the air toward Sasuke, but she couldn't understand what was happening, it was all so blurry and happening so fast... All she saw as she hit the portal at an incredible speed was Kakashi's horrified face.

* * *

Sakura fell to the ground with a thump and she immediately groaned and screwed her eyes shut against the blinding sunlight. Sakura opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the light and rolling over onto her side. She was so tired, her head still hurt like crazy, and she felt very nauseous.

_Concussion._

But she was alive. And she was... somewhere. Sakura stared at the grass that swayed in the breeze, inches from her face. Finally, she picked herself up carefully, painfully, and she looked at the ground underneath her hands. Her vision was hazy and she felt like everything she was seeing was fake, she felt so disconnected. Sakura turned her head and looked around, taking in her surroundings. Her heart began to pound. Sakura felt weak, weak and shaky with fear as she looked toward the mountain that towered over the village. She dropped to her elbows and cradled her head in her hands, trying to calm down, forcing herself to breathe slowly.

_No._

Sakura shook her head slowly.

_This is not possible._

But there was no denying it.

Sakura was on her hands and knees at the edge of the Hidden Leaf village.

And there were only four faces on the mountain.

* * *

AN: And so ends Arc I! There will be two more arcs! I hope this isn't horribly cliché or whatnot. I really really want to know what you think! :) Thank you so much for sticking with me all this time. I truly will need some time to work out the next few chapters though, as well as get some real life things in order. But please review and let me know your thoughts and such, and even if you're not happy with the way I made things turn out I still want to hear about it. Thanks for reading and I'll see you in Arc II, which I'm attaching to this story (not going to make another story for it). I am going on a short hiatus, I have a lot on my plate right now, but I hope I can make the wait worth your while :D Thanks again!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_A Hand Up_

Sakura wasn't sure how much time had passed. Considering how much her body still ached, how her head throbbed...

"_It's the concussion. I'm not all here."_ She came up to her knees and slowly turned her head back towards the mountain.

"_This isn't real."_

Sakura struggled to her feet and stumbled forward.

"Ebisu-sensei!"

Sakura's eyes widened. She recognized that voice, even though he sounded much younger than she remembered. She ran to the nearest tree as best as she could and hauled herself up into its branches, hiding amongst the leaves. Seconds later, Ebisu walked out into the clearing and across it, with a very young Konohamaru in tow.

"Come on, let's train just a little more! Teach me something cool!"

"It's time to go home! Without proper rest and food, all of this training will do you no good!"

Konohamaru mumbled and grumbled to himself behind Ebisu's back, kicking at a rock on the ground.

"If you follow my instructions you'll soon be Hokage."

Sakura could see Ebisu's knowing smile from her perch and she felt a tickle building in the back of her throat. As Ebisu and Konohamaru left the clearing, she wiped her face, stifling her sobs.

Everything, everyone she had known and loved had been torn from her in an instant. But by some cruel twist of fate, it had all been given back to her on the same day. She had a sudden urge to walk around the village, but she couldn't very well do so... Sakura checked her belt. She was shocked as she pulled her mask from her side – by some miracle it was still inact. She secured it to her face and slid down the trunk of the tree she had been hiding in, then looked herself over.

"_I'm a mess..."_ She was covered with dirt and dried blood. Her skin was marred with scrapes and cuts and more than a few dark bruises. Her ANBU medic's vest, once a pristine white, was now stained and torn. _"I should try to wash this off."_ Sakura took a few steps forward and winced at the pain in her right ankle. _"Sprain._" It wasn't serious enough to stop her though, so she limped on. She meant to go straight to the lake, but she got sidetracked. The village... She walked up and down the streets as though in a trance, taking in the sights and sounds, the shops and homes that she had never taken the time to appreciate before Pein had destroyed the village for the first time. She drew more than a few curious look but no one bothered her. She thanked her ANBU status for that, although she knew she was behaving strangely, even for ANBU. As the sun began to sink toward the horizon she heard the happy cries of children leaving the Academy. She thought to go and see them, maybe to reminisce for a bit longer. She walked to the edge of the campus, but someone was already sitting in the spot she had thought to take. Her heard went out to the forlorn-looking little boy, and Sakura clenched her fist at her side, holding herself back from approaching him and speaking some words of comfor to him. At the same time, her gut tightened at the sight of him – Naruto couldn't have been older than seven or eight. That meant she was at least fourteen, fifteen years... in the past.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly through her nose; she was doing all she could to keep from losing her cool. Suddenly all of the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she caught a glimpse of cotton-candy colored hair bouncing toward her. Sakura turned and fled, a horrible dread curling in her gut.

"_This shouldn't be happening. This can't happen."_ She told herself as she ran across the unfamiliar rooftops, feeling out of place. She felt cold, numb; the pain in her body was like a nagging, distant memory in the back of her mind compared with the mental trauma she was experiencing. Her body automatically took her to the lake without any instruction from her conciousness. She stopped at the far edge, frozen in shock.

"I can't escape." She murmured softly to herself.

Sakura stared at the small figure that sat on the edge of the dock and her hand twitched instinctively towards her kunai pouch. Suddenly it was very clear to her what action she should take. She was now convinced that she had been sent to the past for a reason. That reason was swinging its legs and smiling into the surface of the lake right now, without a care in the world. Sakura's grip tightened around the handle of the poisoned kunai she had unthinkingly drawn. She shuddered slightly at the cold sweat that was accumulating on her back and neck. Her filthy hair clung uncomfortably to her nape. A small voice called out to her from deep within her mind, _**"Are you really going to murder a defenseless child?" **_Sakura tried to ignore the voice, pushing it away with a fleeting excuse.

"_He's not a child, he's a monster."_

She focused on the task she had given herself. Her insides chilled as she tried to steel her determination to kill. She would stop the future from happening, she would kill Sasuke now, before he could fight back, before he had a chance to transform into the murderous demon she had come to know him as in her time. Sakura skirted the lake silently as the sun began to sink below the village wall, casting an orange glow across the landscape. She was close now, so close she could see his little eyelashes and see the white lining of his shirt.

Not a moment too late, she felt the presence behind her, unexpected, but she was ready. As the kunai came at her, she rolled sideways and into the woods. She identified her attacker immediately.

"Uchiha Itachi." She breathed. He stood across from her, a kunai between each finger.

"So they sent someone after all. I've never seen you before. ROOT?" He was so young, but the intense look of anger and resentment he gave her was intimidating.

"No." She tensed, waiting for his attack, but he didn't make a move, only narrowing his eyes slightly.

"You're ANBU?"

She stayed silent.

"I've never seen you before." He repeated himself, his grip tightening on his kunai.

"_Right, at this age, he's ANBU as well..."_ She was taken aback at how young Itachi looked. "I am ANBU." She confirmed. "But I'm not surprised that you've never seen me..." She trailed off.

"Explain." Itachi commanded.

"_And captain at that."_ It felt strange for her to be outclassed by such a young shinobi. She briefly considered killing him, but realized that if she did that now, all would be lost. If what Kakashi had said held true, then she had Itachi to thank for the peaceful Leaf Village she'd grown up in. In addition to that, the potential weight of her actions in the past and their possible effect on the future started to sink in.

In this strange place, a Hidden Leaf village where she was unknown and had no allies, there was no one she could trust, no one to whom she could speak and there were also no actions that she could take. There was only one person she could possibly confide in and trust, and he was standing in front of her with his sharingan blazing and his fists full of sharp weapons.

"_It's a chance I'll have to take."_

Sakura moved slowly and deliberately as she stood up straighter and slid her kunai into her pouch. Itachi didn't flinch, but he didn't relax either. His eyes clouded as he appraised her actions.

"Itachi-san." she sighed. "I need to speak with you. Privately." Sakura reached up to her face and removed her mask.

Nearly all of the anger his eyes had held before faded away as she revealed her face to him, and his eyes returned to their normal shape. He almost sighed as he returned his kunai to their holsters, and finally he walked near her, resigned. Sakura could have sworn he had aged five or ten years just in the moment that had passed after she'd expressed her desire to talk to him.

"Are you alright?" She reached out toward him, and he stiffened visibly, so she drew back.

"I'm fine." He responded curtly. He glanced at her, then looked away quickly. "It's just something I've been hearing a lot lately." He muttered.

"_I suppose he's still a child somewhere in there..."_

Itachi looked back toward her, then over his shoulder to his brother. "I really haven't seen you around, have I?" He spoke quietly now. Sakura shook her head and Itachi put his hands in his pockets, sighing for real this time. "Before we talk, I mean to ask. You are injured. I see it now. They'd never send someone in your condition to complete a mission like this." His eyes seemed to flash at her as he looked her over again, and Sakura felt terribly self-conscious in that moment. She frowned tiredly at him. "I think it's safe to say that you've just returned from a mission. Though it appears it was more of a battle." He spoke factually, he'd determined her condition just from looking at her. "You're out of chakra. You need medical attention." He put it bluntly. "Follow me." He started to walk away and Sakura followed him, feeling the pain in her ankle again. She didn't even look back as she walked away from her opportunity to kill Sasuke. She just pushed it away from her mind, as though it had never happened.

"I can't go to the hospital." She called after him.

He stopped in his tracks and looked at her over his shoulder. "Why not? Are you a nuke-nin?"

Sakura sighed and bit her lip nervously. "Not exactly."

"What a hassle _this _is turning out to be. Come on." Itachi changed directions, walking toward the Uchiha complex now. "One of our medics can see to your wounds, then we can talk. No one asks me questions." He almost looked sad as he said the words. "You can put on your mask."

Sakura complied and followed him back into the village and up the block to the Uchiha compound. A few people glanced at her pink hair, but given that she was with Itachi, all was as he said. No one asked questions. She sat down in the medic's house as Itachi conversed with the medic, who was about Sakura's age. The young man, Takeshi, engaged his sharingan and looked Sakura over while taking her vitals. Itachi leaned against the wall in the exam room, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

"They really did a number on you!" Takeshi smiled at her good-naturedly. "I hope you got them back!"

"_So there** were** friendly Uchiha..."_ Sakura couldn't help but feel a little happy at the thought. But her heart sunk as she responded to Takeshi's comment. "Not really."

"Tch. Too bad." Takeshi held her wrist and she felt his chakra invade her system, an unfamiliar sensation for the pink-haired medic. She stiffened at his method.

Takeshi remained easygoing as ever. "Shee-esh. Chakra burns, your whole system is out right now. What did you do, take a chakra pill?" Sakura didn't respond. "Well, you'll be out of comission for at least a couple of weeks in that case. Want me to write a note to the Sandaime for you?"

Sakura shook her head.

"Okay, your call." He shrugged.

"I'll be fine as soon as I get my chakra back." She informed Takeshi stiffly as he let her wrist go.

"You shouldn't draw chakra in your condition. Have you been drawing chakra like that?" Takeshi's smile fell a little and he looked at her more sternly than before. Takeshi opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Sakura cut him off.

"Yes, but I'm a medic, so I'll handle it. I appreciate your help, I really do, but right now I just need-"

"Need me to look at your head and your ankle, right? I've got some food I can share with you too. I've always got sick and hurt people coming in here at all hours of the day and night. I'm prepared." He smiled knowingly at her. "There aren't a whole lot of ANBU medics around, and I haven't seen you so you must be new. Nice to meet you...?" He looked up from the bandages he was preparing for her ankle, the question hanging in the air.

"S-Sakura." She blurted. Suddenly she had a strong urge to hit herself in the face.

"Sakura, huh? Well, at least it's fitting." Takeshi picked up the bandages and knelt by her foot, carefully removing her shoe. "Okay..." Takeshi talked to himself the whole time as he healed her ankle with a little chakra, then wrapped it firmly with the bandages. "And now your head..." His sharingan lit up again and he put a hand on her head. "What happened?"

"I was thrown into a wall."

"By whom?" Takeshi frowned seriously now, his hands glowing with chakra as he repaired the lump on her head and eased the swelling in her skull. "You shouldn't be functioning like this."

"I do what I have to. And I know the symptoms of concussion. I've been fighting it." _"But I have been confused and messed up and tired since I got here. I just can't tell you that."_

"Will of fire, man." Takeshi whistled low as he continued to heal her. "Whoever did this was really strong."

Sakura stayed quiet, but she thought back to her battle with Sasuke. _"How did I even get here?"_ Her memory got a little less cloudy as Takeshi continued to heal her. _"I was getting up... Kakashi was on the ground..."_ Sakura's breath caught in her throat as she remembered the last time she saw him. _"He was using his sharingan. And I was flying through the air, but Sasuke was nowhere near me."_ Sakura's lips formed the words but she didn't say them aloud. "Shinra Tensei." It was all flooding into her mind now, the techniques, what must have happened to her. Just as she had hit the wall at that tremendous speed, she must have hit Kakashi's time-space jutsu at an incredible speed. And it had thrown her fourteen years into the past. Now she _really_ wanted to talk to Itachi. Takeshi sensed her anxiety and tried to ease it.

"Just a little more. By the way, you've healed quite nicely from your last injury. Well, last _major_ injury. Thought you should know." He smiled brightly at her. "Frankly, this is nothing compared to that."

"Mmhm. I was out for months with that one. Had to learn to walk all over again."

"Well, you made quite a recovery." He commended her.

"Thanks."

A few more silent minutes passed, and finally Takeshi finished his work. "You're all set. I'm going to clean up in here, I'll be out in a few. Itachi, there's onigiri in the fridge. And you, help yourself, Sakura-chan."

Sakura cocked her head at the medic before hopping down from the table she had been sitting on, but Takeshi was already whistling to himself and putting away the various bandages and scissors he'd been using. She followed Itachi into the kitchen and he handed her several onigiri from the refrigerator. Sakura fairly inhaled them, eating even the few pieces of rice that had stuck to her fingertips. Itachi just watched her as he munched, unhurried, on his own snack.

"So what do you need to talk to me about?"

"Not here." Sakura looked at him darkly, though he couldn't see through her mask.

Itachi's expression didn't change. "It's a safe place. Or would you prefer to have this talk in the Hokage's office?"

"No, no. No, you don't understand. You will when we talk." She whispered urgently to him. Sakura looked around. "Please."

Itachi rubbed his face with his hand. "Fine." He sighed deeply. "I think I know of a place where we can talk. I have a couple days of leave. But we have to take-"

"Sasuke." Sakura finished for him. It was Itachi's turn to cock his head at her, but he looked away quickly, shaking his head.

"Yes. I promised I wouldn't go without him..." Itachi pushed away from the kitchen counter. He paused as they left. "Thanks, Takeshi!" He called into the house.

"No problem! Take care!" Takeshi appeared from within the room where he'd been treating Sakura and waved goodbye.

"Thank you very much." Sakura bowed deeply to him.

"Eh, it's nothing." Takeshi threw a hand behind his head. "Bye now."

Sakura nodded and followed Itachi, sliding the door shut behind her. They had been walking in silence for a couple of minutes when he turned to her. "You have a place to stay?"

Sakura didn't respond immediately. "I'll - work something out." She replied haltingly.

Itachi blinked at her. "You can stay at the barracks?"

"The... barracks?"

"You're really clueless..." Itachi looked at her, calculating again. "Are you really from Konoha?" He asked sharply.

"Yes. If we could talk now, I'd tell you everything, please believe me." Sakura pleaded quietly but desperately. "You've already helped me a lot, and I'm sorry about this whole mess. I'm not out to hurt anyone. I just want to talk."

Itachi looked skeptical, but he nodded. "Okay, we'll go tonight. I'll get my stuff and we'll leave the village for a bit." He looked around. "You can wait at the door."

Sakura nodded, relieved. She'd been so worried that he'd turn her in without letting her explain the situation to him. She didn't want to think of what would happen to her then, she'd be locked up as a crazy person, or worse, executed for spying on the village or some such nonsense. She waited at the entrance to Itachi's house at his sign and she faintly heard him exchange words with his parents. Five minutes later, she heard his approaching footsteps and he slid the door open, frowning as his mother talked at his back.

"You're supposed to be on leave. They're really giving you a mission right now? What about tomorrow night?"

"I'm sorry. I have my duty to fulfill."

"You have a duty to your clan too!"

Sakura could hear concern in his mother's voice, rather than anger.

Itachi closed his eyes. "Tell father that I'm sorry. I'll be there next time, I promise. I have to do this." He spoke quietly but firmly.

Mikoto caught sight of Sakura through the door and Itachi's mother pursed her lips in displeasure.

"Fine. Stay safe, Itachi-kun."

"I will, mother." Itachi opened his eyes and slid his mask up over his face, but in the moment before, Sakura recognized the look of deep pain on his face as he lied to his mother. Her gut tensed with guilt.

"_I'm sorry, Itachi."_

Itachi motioned to her and she followed him up onto the rooftops and away from the house, across the village. They scaled the wall and rappelled down the other side, then jogged off into the forest. Thankfully, Itachi had set a pace that she could easily keep without chakra. They kept on for awhile longer and just when Sakura felt she couldn't go on anymore, Itachi stopped, looking around and holding a hand up for silence. After a moment, he removed his mask and ran a hand over his face. "Okay, camp, then talk." Sakura nodded vaguely, feeling extremely tired. How long had it been since she last slept? Itachi took one look at her face after she removed her mask and he turned around, speaking with his back to her.

"Just sit down. I've got this."

She plopped down onto the ground and cleared a space for a fire, but she had no tools – her pack was back in Konoha... back in _her_ Konoha. Itachi returned momentarily and soon they had a fire going, and dinner was cooking. Itachi sat a few feet away from her, poking at the ramen in the pot. He waited to speak until after they'd served themselves.

"So why were you trying to kill my brother?" His tone was laced with a vague hostility, and not a little anger. Sakura was surprised at how well he had hidden his unhappiness with her throughout the afternoon. Then again, she supposed he must have been good at such things to have carried out his mission successfully...

"It's... complicated." She paused. "This-" Sakura gestured to her general state of disarray "Your brother did this."

Itachi looked at her and spoke plainly. "That's not possible."

Sakura threaded her fingers into her hair and pulled lightly at the roots, hiding her face in her knees. "Yes it is." Her voice was muffled. Her eyes were clenched shut, she was suddenly trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill down her face. "He... I'm not sure who all else made it, if anyone. I think I'm the only one alive. Everyone else... He killed everyone."

Itachi looked on in disbelief but he didn't stop her, sensing that her explanation was about to come out.

"There's no other way to say it." She spoke softly now, looking up from her hiding place and wrapping her arms around her legs, holding them close to her chest. She looked into the fire, her eyes shining with tears. "Yes, I'm from Konoha, but I'm from a Konoha that exists about fourteen years in the future." She felt incredibly stupid as she said the words, but at the same time she prayed feverishly that Itachi would believe her, that somehow he would understand.

Itachi just sat there frowning, looking closely at her.

"I... I think I can prove it to you."

"Then do it."

"_He thinks I'm wasting his time."_ Sakura took a deep breath. "I think... from what you said to your mom..." Sakura bit her lip briefly. "From what little I've heard of the story and put together on my own, it seems as though you were assigned a mission to... kill your entire clan. I don't know the details, but I heard that it was to keep the peace in the village, to protect Konoha-"

In a second, Itachi was on her and she was on her front with her hands behind her back and a kunai at her throat. "Who did you hear this from?" It was unsettling that his voice would sound so calm as he was about to possibly kill her. Sakura didn't lose her cool. She'd rather die like this, trying to make a better future, than to die at the hands of the council or live the rest of her life as a missing-nin or a civilian, lost in the past. She'd rather die by Itachi's hand than witness the destruction of Konoha again. Sakura answered steadily, honestly.

"Kakashi."

"He doesn't know."

"Yet. I'm from the future."

"That's not possible."

"Yes it is, and I'll tell you the whole story if you'll let me go."

Itachi let her go immediately and he sat next to her, cross-legged, kunai in hand. "Continue." He was being commanding again. Sakura sat up gingerly and rubbed her wrist where he'd twisted it, but she was okay.

"First I'll tell you who I am. This is strictly between you and I."

"I'll be the judge of that."

Sakura sighed. _"What choice do I have?"_ "You know the Yamanakas' little girl?"

Itachi nodded.

"You know that pink-haired little girl she's always with?"

Itachi's breath caught.

"That's me. Sakura Haruno. We went – go to the Academy together. You know Na- the Kyuubi child?"

"Barely."

"Well, he'll end up on my genin team, along with Sasuke. Kakashi was – will be our team leader."

Itachi shook his head. "He's failed about three or four teams already. No genin can pass his test."

Sakura smiled to herself. "That's what he told us. But we passed. Although I was kind of useless." She smiled sadly to herself. "But that's enough about me. Let me tell you what happened." Sakura got serious as she told him all about Sasuke's pursuit of revenge and where it took him, about his attack on the Raikage and his killing the future Hokage (though she didn't name names). She told Itachi about Team Seven's reunion with Sasuke, and about the war, as vaguely as she could. "Apparently, you were brought back by the Edo Tensei during that time as well. I didn't meet you. In fact, I've only met you once in my whole life, before today. But I trust Kakashi, and if what he said was true, then I know, I just _know_ that I can trust you." Itachi was looking pensively at the fire now. He seemed small now, curled up the way he was, and he looked so... burdened. "I'm sorry to have to tell you all of this. There's only a little more."

Itachi didn't respond.

"Kakashi and I were out on a mission. I don't know exactly what happened, but somehow Sasuke managed to get his revenge on Konoha." Her voice got very quiet. "He flattened the entire village. He must have killed the leader of Rain since he had the Rinnegan last I saw him-"

"Rinnegan?" Itachi picked his head up at this bit of news. "Is that real then?" He murmured questioningly.

Sakura nodded. "It's real, and it's horrible. Including Sasuke's work, the village has been destroyed by it twice in my lifetime." Sakura couldn't help but cry through the rest of the story. "He killed Naruto, our best friend, the one person who had always believed in him no matter what. He probably killed Kakashi. And he definitely thought that doing what he did to me was going to kill me, or he wouldn't have done it." She wiped her eyes and took a few shaky breaths, trying to calm down. "He's the one that threw me into the wall that I hit my head on. He's the reason I was all beat up when I got here." Sakura paused again for a few moments. "Kakashi's sharingan has a special ability. It can create... It's like a portal. Things that go in don't generally come back. Sasuke pulled me into that portal with his Rinnegan technique at high speed. I think that's why im here." She finished uncertainly. Yet she felt so much lighter after telling him everything, she didn't even care anymore what happened to her. She was just thankful to get the story out into the open. She'd always been bad at keeping secrets anyway. "Do what you want with me, but I'm glad I told you most everything. If anyone can think of something to do, then it's you. And if I shouldn't be here – which may very well be the case... Sakura frowned into the fire. "Do your worst." She closed her eyes.

Itachi stood up, dusting off his pants as he rose. "I understand about Sasuke now. I don't blame you. But killing him won't solve this problem." Itachi closed his eyes and crossed his arms, thinking. "There's more to this. This isn't all caused by Sasuke. You know who I'm talking about." Itachi looked down at her and just from looking at each other, they both understood what the other meant. "But I also don't think you should be here. Which is why, as soon as I can, I'm going to fix that. But you have knowledge – indispensable knowledge that can lead the entire shinobi world into an era of peace. Which is something I desire along with you and your friend Naruto." Itachi sat back down next to Sakura. "We need to think of a plan. I can't keep you a secret – some secrets are too big even for me to keep." He looked hurt again. "We need to talk to the Hokage, but we need to keep the council – and Danzo – out of this."

Sakura sighed inwardly._"So he saw through my little talk about the unofficial 'sixth' Hokage..."_

"I hope we can do that. It'll be a task." Sakura nodded in agreement. "If there is a way to infiltrate this secret organization you told me about, then we should do it. I would like for you to stay near me if you can." Itachi smiled softly at her, the first real smile she'd seen from him. "If it's for Konoha, and for peace, I'll do it." He looked away and into the fire. "Especially..." He closed his eyes and bowed his head a little, smiling a little wider now. "Especially if it's for Sasuke."

* * *

AN: Hey there everyone, that was a short hiatus, wasn't it? XD I don't know how consistently I'll be posting, so there's a warning, but here's the next chapter of Deuces. I hope Itachi isn't to OOC. I watched all the episodes with young Itachi in them again and he seems to be a lot more emotional? Expressive? As a kid. So IDK. But yeah, I'm excited for the next stuff, though I'm not going to lie this is kinda hard to write! Sorry also for the lack of Kaka-sakuness we are experiencing in this story right now and don't worry, it will come, but for now... story! :D Thanks for reading and reviewing! Love u guys! :) btw sry again for all the crummy spelling mistakes, stupid stupid stupid OpenOffice... I'm doing my best! :D


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_Bittersweet Reunion_

There was a faint pink glow on the horizon as Itachi and Sakura reached the village gates. They ran past Izumo and Kotetsu without a word or glance, straight up Konoha's main drag for a short way, then they took to the rooftops. Sakura followed Itachi across the now unfamiliar territory into the northeast quadrant of Konoha, where Kakashi's apartment was located. Sakura glanced down into the streets as they leapt over them, catching glimpses of the villagers' happy, peaceful lives as they went about their morning routines. Here and there people were sweeping their doorsteps, a few dedicated young shinobi could be seen heading toward the training grounds for morning exercises, and a team of chuunin passed under Itachi and Sakura, apparently on their way to the Hokage Tower. It wasn't long before Itachi and Sakura reached their destination, pausing on the roof to finalize their strategy.

"You're certain that Kakashi will help you?"

Sakura nodded. "He may not be the same person, but-"

"That's for certain, from what you've told me."

Sakura took a shaky breath, but her eyes shone with hope and determination. "I'll convince him."

"_I hope you know what you're doing."_ Itachi frowned blandly but followed her down off the roof and into the stairwell. Sakura took another breath and knocked briskly on the door. She waited a few seconds and knocked again, biting her lip. _"This IS his apartment... isn't it?"_ Sakura looked over her shoulder at Itachi who stood behind her with his arms crossed.

"If he's not here, he'll be at the cenotaph."

Itachi nodded and the pair turned to leave, but just as they took their first steps, the sound of the deadbolt on Kakashi's door clicking open seemed to echo in the entryway. Sakura spun to look as Kakashi cracked the door open and her heart swelled in her chest painfully as she caught sight of his masked face in the half-open door, one eye tightly closed and the other droopy as always. She stifled an excited gasp, and her hands tingled with a sudden nervous tension.

"And to what do I owe your early visit Uchiha-taichou, ANBU-san?" Kakashi's gaze stayed trained on Sakura's mask as he asked the question.

Sakura could tell he'd been up for awhile, yet he acted as though they'd dragged him out of bed. _"Lazy as ever..."_

Suddenly Sakura was at a loss for words. Her mouth opened and closed behind her mask; she looked from Kakashi, who waited for her response patiently, to Itachi, whose patience with her was obviously wearing thin. Kakashi sighed and shifted his weight, opening the door a little further. Itachi finally took charge and answered the silver-haired jounin.

"We actually have some important matters to discuss with you. Do you have time right now?" Itachi asked, polite as ever.

"Yeah." Kakashi pushed the door open even further and retreated into his apartment. He hesitated before inviting them into his abode. "Come in."

Sakura and Itachi stepped in and removed their shoes, and Sakura looked around the room from the genkan in a curious trance. She'd forgotten how small Kakashi's old apartment had been. She could see his neatly made bed through the bedroom door which stood ajar, not a wrinkle on the shuriken-print coverlet. On the bookshelf in the living room was a lone picture of Minato's team, Obito's Naruto-like face drawing a smirk to her own. She noted the dishes in the sink and the faint smell of rice, bonito flakes and soy sauce in the air. Apparently Kakashi had just finished his breakfast.

Itachi and Kakashi stood by the old plaid couch in Kakashi's tiny living room, expectant.

"Oh – s-sorry." Sakura stammered. She found herself bowing slightly as she apologized, something she normally wouldn't do in Kakashi's presence. Most likely it was due to Kakashi's change – no, her surprise at the old Kakashi's demeanor. He was much more tacit, though still patient, and somehow he had a more commanding aura about him, like he knew he was in charge. It was inescapable, but not unpleasant. Sakura found herself both comforted and slightly unnerved by it. Sakura walked over to the couch slowly, unsure as to what she should be doing. Itachi caught her eye and his lips barely moved as he murmered to her, "You can take your mask off."

"Oh, right." Sakura brought a hand to her face and with a fair level of discomfort, removed the white and red covering. Immediately Kakashi went on the defensive, his body tensing.

"Who are you?" Kakashi was direct. "I haven't seen you in the village before, and there are no ANBU with pink hair." His tone was dark.

"Let me explain." Sakura put her hands up in a gesture of surrender, taking a step back into the couch. Her stomach lurched and a sense of total vulnerability overtook her as she fell back into the cushions, and she looked up at Kakashi, doe-eyed. He looked just as surprised, and he glanced over at Itachi with a look of disbelief.

"She's not a threat." Itachi muttered, sticking his hands into his pockets and turning the corners of his mouth down in a faint frown. The lines on his face seemed to deepen slightly. Sakura slowly readjusted her position on the couch. She pushed her body into the corner, where she felt safe, and hugged a scratchy, plaid cushion to her torso.

"What kind of trouble are you dragging me into?" Kakashi's voice was hushed now, his tone urgent. "Of all people, I didn't expect something like this from you, Itachi. What is she, a nuke-nin?" He paused, waiting for an answer. "ROOT?"

Sakura slowly shook her head, steeling herself in preparation for the speech she'd have to give. But Itachi started before she had even opened her mouth.

"This doesn't necessarily mean _trouble_. Work, yes, for you. But no trouble." _"I hope."_ The latter was implied.

Kakashi sighed again and ran his fingers through his already disheveled hair, tense. "What is it?"

"Have a seat and I'll explain."

With a resigned hunch of his shoulders, Kakashi sat in the chair that completed the living room set and waited.

"You're actually very much involved with Sakura-san's situation, whether you realize it or not." Itachi began. Sakura and Kakashi briefly made eye contact as he glanced at her, but he immediately looked back over to Itachi. "I'll begin at a place where you can relate. Your sharingan."

"What about it?"

"Your Kamui." Sakura interjected. Kakashi looked back at her, surprised by her knowledge. "I'm not sure what you've done with it at this point, but I'll tell you where it's going. The mangekyou form of your sharingan has the ability to suck things into another demension. Although where they go isn't yet clear. I'm sure you're working on it now... Or you will be soon."

"The reason that Sakura is here is because of that Kamui." Itachi took control of the conversation again. "I'm not going to dance around this. Sakura is from the future, fourteen years and four months into the future to be precise. Due to an interesting set of circumstances, she was sent back in time via a combination of dojutsu involving your sharingan. Your involvement is key to getting her back to her own time, but before that happens, there are other problems that need to be addressed. You can help us with that as well."

A pregnant pause ensued.

"If you really _are_ from the future – which I doubt -" Kakashi held up a hand to quiet Sakura as she opened her mouth to respond, "You have no real way of proving to us that you are from the future, and even if you could, how can we possibly trust you? What are we going to do with you? And how are we going to explain this to the Hokage?"

"That's exactly why we came to you, Hatake-san." Itachi replied. Kakashi looked more disbelieving than before, but he was quiet now. "Sakura, if you will."

"I can prove that I'm from the future to you easily." Sakura began. "I'm on your first genin team." Kakashi shook his head no while resting his forehead in his palm. "People who don't follow the rules are trash. But those who abandon their comrades... are worse than trash." Sakura's voice died down into a whisper as Kakashi froze. He picked his head up out of his hand and stared at Sakura. "That's why no one has passed your bell test. No one wants to associate with the loser, and so no one shares their lunch with him or talks to him. It's also about teamwork of course -"

"That's enough." Kakashi kept his response clipped. "What else have you got?"

"I know what your mangekyou sharingan looks like."

"I don't even know what it looks like."

"Tch." Sakura sucked her teeth. "Then, I know what your face looks like."

"And how am I supposed to verify that?"

"Use your sharingan." Itachi interrupted casually.

Kakashi stood and Sakura clenched the pillow in her hand reflexively. "Is that really okay? This isn't the intelligence headquarters. There is no security here. If she manages to attack me while I'm using that on her, I'll be totally vulnerable."

"I'm here." Itachi replied simple.

Kakashi sighed, eyeing Sakura warily. "Fine." He resigned himself, opening his eye. Itachi positioned himself behind Sakura.

"If you try anything, I'll kill you instantly." Itachi's sharingan lit up. "No one will ever know you were here." _"Now is your chance to prove yourself to me."_

Sakura nodded nervously, moving the pillow to her lap but never loosening her grip on the square of fluff. "Ano, Kakashi." Kakashi raised his eyebrow at her informal way of addressing him, but she didn't seem to notice or care. "I want to warn you, my memories of Konoha... some of them aren't so pretty. And I have some memories of you..." She looked away, blushing furiously and biting her lip. Kakashi couldn't help the involuntary flip-flop of his stomach as he watched her. She was... _cute_. _"No."_

Kakashi nodded briefly. "Ok. I can handle it, I'm sure."

Sakura glanced back up at him and before she could make another move, Kakashi drew the necessary chakra to his eye and dove into her consciousness.

"_This girl is an open book..."_ She wasn't trying to hide anything from him. Her memories swirled around him haphazardly at the disturbance he caused by entering her psyche, and he tried to sort through them as best as he could. He put his hand to one in which he saw himself, and he entered the memory, viewing it as though he'd been present there as a third party. He recognized the kyuubi kid, and a kid whose quiet, broody attitude immediately identified him as an Uchiha, as well as the pink-haired, green-eyed girl in his apartment. He was giving the three the same speech he gave every genin team... That was enough of that. He left the memory and moved onto memories she held after that, passing through what seemed like an entire category of Sasuke-related memories. Suddenly the Sasuke memories stopped, followed by a very long series of memories that read like medical training manuals and references. Tsunade-hime, the famed slug-princess, appeared in nearly all of those memories. Finally he began to see more of himself in her memories, along with Naruto, Tenzou and another dark-haired, pale-skinned boy. He entered the first memory that he saw that incorporated a taller, _different_ Sasuke. The boy's tortured, hateful chakra crackled through the air in this memory, and he listened carefully and watched the Uchiha's actions as he attacked his former teammates, plunging his chidori-lit sword cleanly into Tenzou's chest. Kakashi looked on in horror. A piercing guilt laced his gut as he realized that he must have taught that technique to the young Uchiha, and for him to use it in such a way, against Konoha ninja, against his teammates...

It made Kakashi sick. It was obvious that whatever values he had tried to teach Sasuke hadn't sunk in at all. He left the memory before it ended; he didn't want to know what happened next. He skipped ahead through her next memories quickly, barely glancing at them. He needed to see why she was here, how she got here... and something was driving him to look for more memories of Sasuke. He had to know what that boy had become. But Kakashi couldn't stop himself from entering one particularly strange memory; it caught his eye. Debris and random items, people even, flew through the air. He brought his arms up over his face as he tumbled through what felt like a typhoon. After what felt like ages, it died down, and he watched as Sakura pulled herself from the rubble. Kakashi blinked and looked around at what had obviously been Konoha at one time. Far in the distance, at the epicenter of the blast, he could make out a small, black figure. He turned to look at Sakura, who was looking about aimlessly, obviously in shock. Tears streamed down her face and she dropped to her knees, cradling her head in her hands. Suddenly she threw her head back and screamed, and her desperate cry sent shivers down his spine.

"Naruto!"

Kakashi fled and flew through the next memories of Konoha's rebuilding and the war... and finally he arrived at the end. He plunged his hand into one of the last memories, one where he saw himself slung over her back. He followed her as she ran, and he almost couldn't believe it himself when he saw the casual way he lowered his mask and professed his love to her. It was too much for him. To go almost directly from her memories as a child to a re-enactment of his treatment of her as a woman... He looked purposefully to the next few memories and he jumped into the last one and understood.

Konoha was in shambles again, Sakura and the future Kakashi watched as Sasuke murdered Naruto, the sixth Hokage, before their eyes. And they fought. Kakashi could feel the desperation in the air as he watched himself fight the Uchiha, and for a moment he was hopeful, but when Sasuke summoned his helper, Kakashi realized that all was lost. He watched as Sakura was injured, tossed nearly ten meters through the air into a wall at an incredible speed. He watched as Sasuke's hand lit up with a final chidori, and the memory became fuzzy after that. _"She probably passed out..."_ It wasn't long afterward that he was able to make out that Sakura was flying through the air, this time in the opposite direction. He felt her being sucked somewhere through the portal that swirled around her. Lastly he saw her final memory of _her_ Konoha, Kakashi's own surprised and horrified face looked straight into hers as she disappeared into the past.

Kakashi removed himself from the memory and ended the technique he was using on her mind.

He'd had enough.

Kakashi sat tiredly on the other end of the couch, throwing his head back and staring at the ceiling. That technique was draining, emotionally and chakra-wise. Sakura wiped tears from her face, trying to hide behind the pillow she still clung to. Itachi relaxed and moved away from her, flipping his kunai back into its holster. Several silent minutes went by as Kakashi processed what he'd seen. Finally he broke the silence.

"You're right." He began. "We have to stop Sasuke. I am directly responsible for his actions, as his future teacher." He felt the guilt come back, and it sat heavily in his gut now, quiet but painful. Kakashi tried to express his feelings about measures that could be taken, but he wasn't entirely sure what to do, he only knew enough about Sasuke's future to feel accountable for the boy's actions. "We need to talk to the Hokage."

"I agree. But for reasons I can't disclose right now, it is impossible for me to be the one to bring this matter to his attention." Itachi was firm.

Kakashi nodded. "I'll do it."

"I knew I could count on you." Sakura's voice seemed small.

Kakashi didn't say anything. He didn't need to. Although he still didn't really know her, he felt closer to her. She was someone like him, someone who would give their lives for their village in a heartbeat, someone who would fight to the death for a friend. Sakura was someone who had saved his life, even if it was in the future, and she was someone he knew he could trust. Just as she was taking a chance by approaching himself and Itachi, he would take a chance for her, because now she was one of his important people. _"Itachi..."_

"You don't have any memories of Itachi." Kakashi sat up straight and looked Sakura in the eye.

"You didn't see it?" Sakura looked surprised. "There's only one. And most of it is genjutsu..." She bit her lip again.

"So then why did you approach him first? Why didn't you come straight to me?"

"I found her. She didn't find me." Itachi responded smoothly for Sakura. Kakashi raised his eyebrow again, seeing underneath the underneath as usual, but he stayed silent for now. Something was up, but now was not the time to handle it. "Okay." Kakashi accepted Itachi's answer.

"So what now?" Sakura asked tensely.

Kakashi stood and Sakura loosened her hold on the pillow.

"Now? We go to the Hokage."

* * *

AN: Wow! Hi, everyone! I know there isn't much forward movement in this chapter, and there's little fluff (pillow aside xD). Right. So, at least we are going somewhere, I've got four weeks until the convention so it's crunch time right now. Still not planning any chapters, I just got inspired to write this, but after the convention I hope to be back on some sort of weekly update schedule. I feel so bad, I haven't even _read_ any fanfiction lately, I've had no time whatsoever. But here it is, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I look forward to your reviews as usual and I thank you for taking the time to tell me what you think and feel! :) Thanks again, all! :D


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_Floral Green_

Kakashi and Sakura's meeting with the Hokage was much shorter than anticipated, and somewhat anticlimactic, given the tense and nearly illegal events that had transpired in Kakashi's apartment. He had listened to Kakashi's concise explanation patiently and quietly, nodding occasionally in quiet agreement or acknowledgement. In the end, his orders were much less harsh than Sakura had expected. Kakashi's expression had been guarded for most of the meeting. Basically what it had come down to was that the Hokage trusted Kakashi. He had said as much.

"It's not as though this hasn't happened before." The Sandaime looked meaningfully over his intertwined fingers at Kakashi. "Though it's true, we don't exactly have the power of the Ryumyaku at our disposal to put things right and send her home."

Kakashi nodded, vaguely recalling his mission with Minato all those years ago. Something about chasing down a time-travelling ninja with a dangerous bloodline limit... An image flashed through his mind and he heard the loud ninja's voice echo in his head - _"Kakashi Sensei!". _He had always thought it had been Minato who'd called out to him in that brief recollection, but no; Kakashi recognized the adolescent from Sakura's memories. The memory was fleeting though, and he blinked it away quickly.

"But Sasuke..." Sakura murmured.

The Sandaime smiled warmly, knowingly. "It may be for the best." He'd looked from Sakura to Kakashi. "I trust your judgment, Kakashi. Between the two of you, you may be able to make a difference. We'll call it an S-class mission. Off the books, of course." The Third Hokage lit his pipe and leaned against the windowsill overlooking the village. He puffed on it slowly, sending rings floating over the building on the breeze. "There's a two-bedroom apartment that's opened up on the northeast side of town, not far from where you live now, Kakashi. And I think you can take a short paid leave of absence while spending time with your estranged cousin who's come to visit you." The Hokage smiled, amused. He could almost feel Kakashi's mouth opening and closing like a fish's behind him, surprised and dismayed at being assigned the task of caring for Sakura and helping her with her 'project' throughout her stay in Konoha. The Third stifled a chuckle as he turned the face his visitors. Sakura was looking very red and Kakashi looked like he was having a hard time getting enough air.

"Would you prefer we establish a different relationship as your cover?"

Kakashi and Sakura looked at each other uncertainly, their discomfort was apparent. The Hokage smirked. "Maybe I'll just let you two work that out yourselves."

"What – what about Sakura's stroll around town yesterday?" Kakashi managed to stutter eventually.

"Already dealt with. Hopefully Yugao isn't still upset about having to dye her hair pink for a time." The Hokage smirked slightly. "Kakashi, wait outside for a moment. I need to speak to Sakura alone for a few minutes."

Kakashi nodded, resigned, and stuck his hands in his pockets, walking slowly out of the office. After the door clicked shut behind the silver-haired copy-nin, the Hokage spoke.

"I'll keep the council off of your trail, but I need a reason. I can't make all of my decisions based off of my faith in Kakashi, though I _do_ trust him beyond a shadow of a doubt. What's going on?"

Sakura got straight to the point. "I don't want to get Itachi in any more trouble than he's already in."

"What makes you think he's in trouble?" The Hokage raised his eyebrow at her.

Sakura sighed inwardly. _**"Really?"**_ "I know something about Itachi's situation. And I'll be honest with you; it's got a lot to do with what I can do about the future of Konoha."

Sarutobi was much more serious now. _"Things just got a lot more complicated."_ After a pause, he warned Sakura, "Try not to get any more people than necessary involved. Also, I want you writing this down, the important things anyway. I'll keep it in my safe for the next Hokage to see."

Sakura waited a few moments to see if he would continue, but he didn't, he only looked at her with a mixture of trust, support and pity. Sakura nodded and left with a bow and a "Thank you." The Hokage looked after her with one last thought before turning back to his work. _"Although he already has so much weight on his shoulders, Itachi can help Sakura. I hope she and Kakashi can do this."_

* * *

Sakura and Kakashi were surprised to find Itachi sleeping on Kakashi's couch as they got home from their meeting with the Hokage. Granted, Sakura had prolonged their outing by convincing Kakashi to take her food shopping. Though she had no money, she had tempted the notoriously stingy ninja with the promise of a piping hot dinner complete with miso and eggplant. Kakashi couldn't say no to a hot meal – he caved to her plies grudgingly. Sakura held a finger over her lips and the pair tiptoed silently into the kitchen, depositing their loot on the counters. Sakura padded into the living room and carefully set a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "Itachi." She whispered to him.

His eyes fluttered open sleepily and he picked up his head slightly. "I fell asleep." He looked surprised. Sakura nodded, the corners of her lips turning up in a small smile at his sudden cuteness. "Did you want to have dinner with us?" She glanced up over the couch and into the kitchen where Kakashi was ignoring her, focused on putting away the groceries. Itachi sat up and rubbed his face, and Sakura sat on the couch next to him instead of crouching on the floor. Itachi glanced at the clock.

"I should go."

"To your meeting?"

Itachi sank back into the cushions. "Not yet." He answered reluctantly, looking at the ceiling.

Sakura waited for a few more moments. "Why don't you rest a little more? I'll wake you when dinner is ready."

Itachi stifled a yawn. "I'll help."

"You don't have to." Sakura smiled genuinely at him. He looked different after his nap, refreshed. Like he hadn't really slept in a long time. _"Those lines under his eyes..."_ Itachi appeared to be battling against his urge to nap more, but Sakura decided for him. As she rose, she took Kakashi's striped throw with her and wrapped it around Itachi. He stiffened for a moment at her touch, but he soon relaxed and lay down on the couch, allowing Sakura to tuck him in.

"I don't like eggplant..." He muttered as his eyes closed.

"Okay." Sakura looked at him one more time before heading to the kitchen.

Sakura stood close to Kakashi and they spoke in hushed voices as she got ready to cook. "Pans? Pots?"

Kakashi gestured to what was already on the stove and counter. "That's it."

Sakura nodded. She hadn't expected much more from Kakashi. At least there was a rice cooker. She took the vegetables out of the fridge and set them on the counter, then cast about for a knife. Kakashi silently drew a kunai and offered it to her. She squinted at it and took it from him gingerly, wiping it carefully on the only towel available – one of questionable cleanliness. She started to slice up the vegetables as best she could and Kakashi slouched back up against the fridge, watching her but keeping his distance.

"So he's really asleep?"

Sakura nodded in response. "Surprisingly." Vegetables sizzled and popped as she scooped them into the hot pan. "He's had a rough couple of days, between me trying to kill Sasuke and his family matters..." She trailed. "And ANBU, you know? Hey, is the rice cooker clean?"

Kakashi rinsed the cooker as Sakura seasoned their dish and added the fish. A savory aroma filled the room as it began to fry and soak up the soy sauce in the pan. Sakura thanked Kakashi and took the now clean liner from him as she thought about Itachi. _"He's probably not sleeping well at home. Probably can't trust his own family." __**"He barely knows you and he already trusts you. What does that mean to you?"**__"Maybe he's desperate." __**"Itachi doesn't do things without a reason."**__"That's Itachi in ten, fifteen years. This is a different Itachi."_ There was only silence in her mind as she stirred the contents of the pan absently. But Sakura felt like there was a veil thrown over those thoughts related to Itachi, like there was something more there that she didn't comprehend. _**"It's his drive, his motivation. Why he did the things he did... we can't grasp those reasons." **_Sakura nodded slightly to herself and bit her lip as she came to the realization. _**"We don't really want to know. But we will, soon enough."**_Sakura felt as though she were walking on someone's grave just thinking about it, violating some sacred secret of Sasuke's. Her grip on the spatula tightened as she thought about those cold, purple eyes staring her down, the choking aura of Sasuke's dark chakra pouring over her as she stood before him. She didn't realize she'd stopped breathing until she heard Kakashi calling to her.

"You ok? Sakura?"

She attacked the fish in the pan, violently scraping it into the waiting plates before it could stick any further - it was already on the verge of burning.

"I'm fine." She turned away. "I'm just going to make Itachi's." She wiped her face on her shoulder. _"I'm such a fool."_

"I'll wake him, then." Kakashi left her alone.

Sakura quickly pressed some warm rice into onigiri – everyone liked onigiri, right? She hummed quietly, nervously, as she loaded everyone's plates with what she had cooked. Finally they all sat at the cramped table together, and Kakashi picked up his chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu."

The room was quiet for a few minutes as the three tucked into their respective dinners. Sakura could feel her stomach expanding, she'd been so hungry! Dinner was over quickly, though, and Kakashi broke the silence before it got awkward.

"Don't you need to go home soon, Itachi?"

Itachi looked up from the few stray grains of rice that remained stuck to his plate and blinked. "Oh. I suppose so." Itachi stood up and pushed his chair in.

At the same time, Sakura rose and picked up everyone's plates, heading into the adjacent kitchen. "I understand that you have to go now, Itachi." She paused as she deposited the dishes in the sink and rinsed them briefly. "When you have some free time, I'd like it if you could come by. There are some more things that the three of us need to discuss." She turned away from the sink, wiping her hands on the available towel. Despite the questionable color of the historically white towel, anything was better than wiping her hands on her filthy pants. "Before you go, I'd like to ask you something as well. Considering that we have to come up with a plan of action, and I've got most of the necessary knowledge…" She faltered and glanced sideways at Kakashi, who watched her patiently with that certain lazy aura that was so familiar to her. Sakura found the confidence to continue, "I need to know how much time I have to make a plan so that I can also make preparations for us."

Itachi rested his forearms on the back of his chair, tilting it and rocking it back and forth under his weight. "We have four or five months at most." He pushed the chair away from his body and turned to go, shoulders hunched slightly. Sakura's brow creased slightly at his back. Itachi paused at the door, turning his head slightly to the side as he spoke. "Unless something drastic happens. Don't worry yourself too much, Sakura, I'm already planning." The words were uttered softly.

"Itachi…" Sakura stepped toward him.

"We need Sakura. We don't know all of the variables in the equation. Even you and I can't make plans without knowing the facts first." Kakashi got up from his chair. "And it's apparent that we all need to sit down and have a talk sometime soon. Obviously there is something going on that I don't know about." Kakashi looked from Itachi to Sakura. The pink-haired kunoichi placed her hands on her hips. "It's not that I don't trust you, Kakashi – far from it. This isn't something I can discuss with you right now, given that I don't know the facts regarding the _other_ situation."

"No need to get defensive. I'm sure we'll work it all out sometime soon."

Itachi turned around and looked at Sakura first, then Kakashi. "I'll be by during the week, I promise. I just… right now I need to go to this meeting. Unless something comes up I should be able to come over." He never smiled nor frowned as he informed the pair of his intentions. "Thanks for dinner." Itachi brought a hand up and quickly formed a seal, then vanished, leaving behind only a wisp of smoke.

* * *

He'd never had a woman in his apartment before.

Kakashi almost always followed Genma's advice when it came to women: Never take her back to your place. He understood his friend's logic now even more than before; bring her home and she might not leave. He turned another page of his _Icha Icha _without really looking at it; he was too busy thinking about… _No._ Kakashi tilted his head to rest on the back of the couch. Why did he always have to get involved in the most complicated, classified missions? Kakashi sniffed. Ironically this mission stank to hell of blood begging to be shed as well. All he'd seen, all Sakura had experienced… calamity like that wasn't prevented without a few well-planned assassinations, if not full-scale war. Speaking of assassination, Kakashi empathized with Sakura's desire to kill Sasuke, but he recognized that Sasuke was merely a tool – someone had created the monster within the boy. He'd have to ask her about that… perhaps that would be a good place to start.

Kakashi heard the shower shut off and after a short explosion of loud cursing from the bathroom, the door clicked open.

"I don't have any clothes." Sakura mumbled sheepishly into the apartment.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and got up off the couch. As soon as he walked into the short hallway he cursed himself, and wished he'd remained sitting. Sakura was peeking through the half-open door. Her posture suggested that she was trying to twist her body out of view, but instead she was leaning over, giving Kakashi a generous view down her towel. Kakashi tore his eyes away from her bosom to her face, but the action was not as subtle as he'd have liked, and Sakura's red face was testament to that.

"Kakashi!" She hissed, hitching her towel up around her chest and holding it there. "Clothes, now. Or I'll come out there and get them myself!" She was shaking slightly, with cold or rage Kakashi wasn't sure, but he went into his room to grab her some clothing. Still, he couldn't help but think of her getting the clothes herself. After combing through her memories he had a good idea of what he'd see. Kakashi stood outside the bathroom door awkwardly for a few moments before tentatively knocking on the door. "Um, Sakura?"

"Hold on!" She yelled from within. He heard some shuffling, then the door to the shower closed. "Okay. Leave them on the counter please."

Kakashi held his breath and opened the door. Again, he found himself looking – this time at the frosted glass of the shower as he put the clothes down. _"Damn…"_ He tore his eyes away from the vague shape behind the glass and shut the door behind him, fleeing the scene and heading back to the couch. She was invading his bachelor space, and like a new _Icha Icha_ novella, she drew his attention. With her exotic coloring and physical fitness, she was hard to resist. And just knowing that his future self was attracted – no, in love with her… It was weird, but his 22-year-old hormones were not about to disagree with his gut.

It was a good thing that Sakura had taken such a long time to get dressed.

As soon as she walked into the living room her scent assailed his nostrils – Kakashi cocked his head at her and breathed deeply.

"Did you use Pakkun's shampoo?"

Sakura turned bright red again.

AN: Sorry for taking SO LONG to get this chapter up! I've had crazy writer's block, and what with preparations for the holidays and post-con fatigue (which lasted weeks, believe it or not) I just haven't had the time/motivation/spark to write anything for this story at all. I hope this chapter isn't lame, and I apologize for the short length. Hopefully upcoming chapters will be more exciting, yay KakaSaku! :D


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